When the Cradle Falls
by PrettyinPinkNikki21
Summary: A Continuation of Jennifer's Lie and Searching for Aubrey    If someone were after your baby would you run or stay and fight for what's yours?    All parts written by S Davidson and N Luongo
1. Exhaustion and Packages

ONE MONTH LATER

It had been a long journey but both Lucas and Andrew had finally come home, on a Sunny California day. Andrew's survival had been nothing short of a miracle, his sucking reflex had improved enough to be given formula from a regular bottle and his lungs had improved enough that he didn't require an oxygen mask, just a nebulizer and some breathing medications which the doctors assured the Harts were just temporary, but their whole family was now at home and they had reason to celebrate.

Although nothing ever goes right when it's supposed to….

Once the boys were home, Aubrey suddenly began wetting the bed, common for a two year old but not for her, since she'd been home it had never happened. When they'd first gotten her back they'd put a diaper on her at night, but after two weeks of them being completely dry each morning they stopped. So when she started wetting the bed her Mama was at her wits end wondering why.

"Jonathan, I told you not to give her liquids before bedtime!" Jennifer grumbled as she changed the bed sheets, while he watched from the doorway with Baby Andrew in his arms, who was working his way into a good cry giving his once troubled lungs a good workout.

"Darling, she was thirsty," Jonathan said not admitting that he'd screwed up. They had both just fallen asleep when Aubrey had screamed out

"I WET MY BED MAMA!"

Of course she woke up one baby but the other slept through the noise, for identical twins they were exact opposites, when one was up, the other was asleep, when one was hungry the other wasn't, trying to get them both on a schedule wasn't working and Mama was on the verge.

Throw in a two year old who was slowly becoming evil, and you've got the makings of one wrong nerve ending away from sitting on the roof with a bottle of wine, swearing not to come down until the bottle was empty.

Aubrey was perfectly fine when they brought the boys home, although she'd gotten too close to Lucas's car seat, in order for her to get a better peak at her baby brother, she braced her knees against the side and flipped over the carrier, sending herself and the baby into the floor.

Jennifer had just gotten out of the bathroom and Jonathan was getting Aubrey some juice when they heard the scream and a loud chorus of "Not my fault!"

Slowly she was becoming more and more adventurous when it came to her baby brothers, from trying to dive into the crib with Andrew to tying Lucas's carrier with him in it to the back of her tricycle with a jump rope, she would have gotten away with it if her mother hadn't come around the corner and screamed. There was no way they could take their eyes off her for a second and this adventurous attitude was part of the reason Jennifer couldn't sleep, she constantly worried that Aubrey would do something to the babies or herself. The lack of sleep meant she was so exhausted that more than once in the middle of a conversation with Jonathan, she'd fallen asleep standing up.

While Jennifer changed the sheets, Jonathan stood watching her with Baby Andrew, Aubrey was having a blast playing with her dollhouse, she'd never been up this late, Usually she was in bed around 8pm, with the sun just coming down but now according to the clock it was flashing 2:10 am and very dark outside.

"Alright Baby, let's get you out of those wet jammies" Jennifer adjusted her patience after taking a deep calming breath.

"No Mama! I playing" She was indignant; she was going to stay up as long as possible.

"Aubrey Rose, those jammies are wet and they need to come off!" Jennifer said tersely, still trying to retain some patience with her.

"Darling, why don't you take him and I'll get her into her jammies," He said handing her the baby, who was pulling up his legs in a wail

She tried rubbing his belly, knowing sometimes that calmed him down but more often than not it was the bathroom fan that soothed him.

She kissed her baby, gave up her daily thanks that he was well and home, and tiptoed into the nursery because Lucas was fast asleep. He usually slept through anything and it seemed that lately he was going through a "Daddy's boy" phase, he would scream when she would get into his eye line so she'd given up trying to breastfeed him, after a few days of him refusing to nurse she switched him to formula and gave Jonathan the duty of feeding him..

It only added to her guilt that she felt he knew on some level that she had spent more time with Andrew in the Neonatal Unit, maybe thinking she'd preferred his brother to him.

She put Andy in the crib and went back to the master bedroom, where she collapsed onto Jonathan's side,

"I got her washed and into new jammies," Jonathan said from the bathroom

"That's nice," she muttered into the pillow, already asleep

"I guess Dad won't be getting any loving tonight," Jonathan chuckled

Sex was the last thing on her mind, there were days if she was lucky to get the spit-up out of her hair, gone were the days of expensive clothes and making love twice a day, now she was lucky if her clothes were changed by dinnertime.

Although Max and Pearl were amazing, they were establishing a relationship, so much so Max had pretty much moved to the guest house plus it was the only time he got to sleep with hearing the boys and Aubrey screaming. It was nice that someone in this house was getting some rest.

She'd barely been asleep when Lucas started to cry.

"No please please go back to sleep," She whined into the pillow

"Do you want me to go?" Jonathan offered

"Why not? You're his obvious favorite," she said with her eyes closed

"Come on, Darling you know that's not true."

"Just go before he wakes up Andy…"but it was useless to say because then Lucas started wailing

"We may never sleep again." She got off the bed and walked into the nursery

"Ooh baby please go to sleep," She begged him while changing his diaper, sat with him in the rocking chair hoping the movement would settle him down but he wailed even more and hit a high note, waking up his brother

"Oh No… Jonathan!" She called but no answer

This was an impossible situation, one she'd never imagined with the two babies, she put Lucas in his swinging chair, which he hated and picked up Andrew who had large tears on his chubby cheeks, she felt so helpless, where did everyone go?

Jennifer stood in the middle of the nursery for a minute while the boys cried, and decided that she could either burst in to tears too or she could try and recapture some of her go getting, no nonsense attitude that the pregnancy hormones and lack of sleep had been keeping at bay. She decided it was time to take back control – she was the Mommy after all!

Fortunately she was wearing a front opening night shirt so she unfastened the buttons, lifted both boys and sat in the rocking chair with one in each arm. It took a bit of maneuvering but within a few minutes of gentle perseverance they were both latched on and feeding, their bodies were close together and their hands and feet were touching which seemed to help calm them and within 20 minutes they were both asleep again. It was the first time Jennifer had attempted to feed them both together and she had no idea how much milk they'd managed to get but since they'd fallen asleep she'd have to see how long it would be before they woke up again. It had been easier than she thought, although that was because they were both still small. If it was going to become a regular thing then she'd need to research some kind of cushion to support their bodies. She was surprised that Andrew had done so well; it had certainly felt like his sucking reflex was just as strong as Lucas'!

She laid the sleeping boys back in their crib then fastened her nightshirt again as she walked out of the Nursery and in to Aubrey's room. The night light was on casting a soft glow and the sleeping Aubrey was looking angelic. Jennifer stood looking down on her and decided she probably needed a bit of one to one time with her, the problem was how to manage that with the boys, she'd need to give it some serious thought though, she couldn't let Aubrey's behavior get any worse. She felt guilty for her earlier annoyance, after all Aubrey was a two year old whose whole world had been turned upside down; she was bound to be confused. She needed boundaries and she needed her Mama and Daddy to be consistent so they were going to have to make a greater effort – no matter how tired they were. She hadn't expected parenthood to be easy, but she hadn't reckoned for how tiring it would be. They were going to have to get a routine established…. And fast!

Jonathan was snoring softly when Jennifer went back to bed and he never moved when she climbed in next to him. Sinking back in to her pillows she sighed and within minutes was sound asleep too.

Amazingly the boys slept for 5 hours and Jennifer felt a lot more refreshed when she got up with them. When she'd fed them again and they'd all had their breakfast she left the sleeping babies with Max and Pearl and took Aubrey upstairs for a bubble bath with her. They played with bath toys and Jennifer listened as Aubrey chatted, amazed at how much her vocabulary had increased recently. She hadn't really noticed and she felt guilty that she'd pretty much left the care of her daughter to the rest of the family while she concentrated on the twins.

"How would you like to go shopping with Mama?" Jennifer asked as she gently soaped Aubrey's back. "I think you could be doing with some new clothes, you're getting so big! Then we can go for lunch." 

"To Mickey Dees!" Aubrey laughed

"Who took you to Mickey D's baby?"

"Daddy!" They said in unison and Aubrey laughed again.

"Well Daddy can look after your brothers while we go shopping."

"Mickey Dees!" Aubrey sang out

"We'll see!" Jennifer wasn't committing to anything.

Since Jonathan had a longer sleep Jennifer didn't feel guilty about leaving him with babysitting duties, and since the boys would take formula from a bottle he could feed them if they woke up hungry. When she and Aubrey got out of the bath they got dressed and then went looking for Jonathan who was catching up on emails.

"Aubrey and I are going out for some Mother Daughter time Darling. A couple of hours of shopping…"

"And Mickey Dees, Daddy!" Aubrey shouted and Jonathan tried to look innocent but failed.

"Mama and Daddy will talk about that later." Jennifer said with a smile which Jonathan recognized as meaning he was in trouble!

20 minutes later they were off out leaving Jonathan, Max and Pearl with Lucas and Andrew, in their bassinettes in the living room, to avoid having to carry the baskets up and down the stairs, they'd just bought two of everything and keep everything they need on each floor.

"We're In trouble," Max said he'd only been around babies briefly and seeing how they were on different schedules he knew that one would cry while the other slept and vice versa

"Come on Maxxy, Cake Walk" Pearl said having been a mother herself she knew the basic elements were keeping them calm, quiet and dry…

Just then the doorbell rang, waking up both babies, "Remind me to put a note on the door,"

"Mr. Hart?" A delivery man handed Jonathan a box, he quickly signed for the box and the delivery man left

"Must be a baby present," Pearl remarked walking around the couch with Lucas

Jonathan took the box and his keys out of his pocket, over to the coffee table and opened it to find a rag doll with red hair and a knife stuck in it's hard, "What the hell" a note was taped to the doll's forehead, " I know what you did, it makes me sick, give me back my baby"

"It's gotta be a joke," Max said picking up Andy, who was wailing so hard his little face was red

Jonathan was studying the doll and didn't even hear Max; something was on the Horizon between this and the incident at Mickey D's but what?

One thing he knew for sure, Jennifer wouldn't know about either, because she was already a basket case and this would just push her over the edge

"Charlie?" Pearl touched his shoulder; he jumped a mile and dropped the doll

"Pearlie, watch the boys for awhile, I gotta go to the office," He picked up the box and went to the car without waiting for a response.

"What the hell's going on," Pearl demanded while Lucas quieted down in her arms

"Believe me, Doll if I knew I'd tell you" Max said while Andy wailed, "I know let's try the swing"

"He hates that,"

"Got any better ideas?" Max was growing frustrated and deaf at the same time

"Well babies respond to music so let's try some music," Pearl laid Lucas down in his bassinette

"Somehow I don't think there a fan of the Andrews sisters," Max said handing Andrew to Pearl, who seemed to have the magic touch and he calmed down instantly," How'd you do that"

"Simple, Babies sense fear, when you tense up so do they," Pearl sat on the couch with Andrew in her arms

"I'm glad I've only got the one kid and he came walkin, talking and able to take care of his own needs," Max went into the kitchen

Jennifer had taken Aubrey to an indoor playground after shopping for a few new items where she could burn off some energy with bouncy houses, Ball pits and Slides, a kid's dream but first she wanted to get something healthy into her child since apparently her Daddy was content on giving her junk food

She took Aubrey to an organic restaurant where they specialized in kid foods but without processed sugars and chemicals except her child seen the ways of Mickey D's and refused to budge

"Baby you love Macaroni and Cheese, it's just like the kind Max makes at home," Jennifer tried putting a fork full to her lips but Aubrey wouldn't have

"No Mama, yucky!" Aubrey wasn't stupid, this looked nothing like Poppa's plus this one had chopped spinach and carrots inside it

"Please Baby you have to eat," Jennifer wasn't above begging especially when it came to Aubrey's health

"It looks like Barf!" Aubrey yelled

Jennifer tried not to laugh but couldn't help it, "Alright that's it, let's go," She picked up her daughter, tossed down a twenty and left, She could always try again later...

After the lunch from hell and some time at the bounce house, Aubrey was tired and due for her nap, slowly becoming whiney and Jennifer decided to take her home but when she pulled into the driveway, she noticed the extra security

"Oh my god, the boys!" Jennifer panicked as she stopped the car, quickly jumped out, released her daughter from the car seat and ran into the house

"Hello? Max? Pearl?" She called frantically

"We're up here," Pearl called quickly from the babies' room

"What's going on?" She ran up the stairs two at a time, which with a two year old at your feet is never easy and ran into the boys' room, taking a sigh of relief when she saw Andrew in his crib

"We don't know, these guys just showed up and started searching the house and gardens," Max said from the chair holding Lucas

"Oh my babies, I was so worried," She said picking up Andrew and cuddling with him, but not before noticing a key member of their family was missing

"Where's Jonathan?"


	2. Camping we will go

Jennifer didn't know what to do, her house was covered with security people and her husband was nowhere to be found and when she asked the security people what was going on, they simply said "they were there on 's orders!" She knew at that moment that he was up to something but what? He'd never just taken off in the middle of the afternoon, without saying anything to her, they had always worked together as a team and now he was changing the rules, it wasn't fair and She wouldn't play along if it meant her children couldn't live a normal life.

Jennifer told Aubrey to go play in her room and for once in her tiny life, she obeyed, sensing her Mama was angry and this was not the time to mess around, Jennifer then took the babies, Lucas in his carrier and Andy on her shoulder blade into her bedroom, she put both babies on the bed, surrounding them with pillows and just watched their movements, Like when Lucas would hiccup and Andrew would reach a hand out, Jennifer noticed that Lucas seemed to be on his way to rolling over and wondered if Andrew would reach the same milestone at the time.

After a half hour of rubbing their bellies and humming a nameless tune, they fell asleep and she suddenly realized how exhausted she was, she put her arm across their small chests and fell asleep listening to them breathe

She woke up a half hour later to the feeling of someone trying to move her arm, she slowly opened one eye and realized that

It was her husband, who'd finally decided to come home

"You scared the hell out of me!" She yelped

"Sorry Darling," He kneeled beside the bed, "But what are the boys doing in here?

"I came home from shopping and the house was covered with security, I thought something happened to the boys then you, I didn't know what to do.." She stammered then realized he'd been gone for nearly three hours," Where have you been?"

"I had to run to the office, "He didn't want to lie to her especially since she could see right through him, "Freison was having a nervous breakdown over some contract,"

She looked into his eyes and knew that he was lying to her, the journalist in her was screaming to find out why

"Jonathan, what is with the extra security?" She asked watching him playing with Lucas, who giving his daddy a smile that he never gave her

"Oh well, I figured since our daughter has become a daredevil, I'd beef up security to make sure she stays where she's supposed to." Jonathan was mentally slapping himself how could he lie to her like know that her as well as their kids were in trouble? "Well I'm starving Darling let's go get dinner,"

She nodded knowing she'd have to go behind his back and find out what was going on, She picked up Lucas who immediately began wailing, she knew that he hated her and she wanted to die, how could her own baby hate her?

"Take him," She cried, shoving the baby toward Jonathan and running into the bathroom

"Darling, come out" He knew she was struggling in bonding with him but this was getting very old, every time something went wrongly lately she ran to the bathroom and locked herself in

"No my own baby hates me," She sobbed from the edge of the tub

"He doesn't hate you, he's just sensing your exhaustion" Jonathan tried jimmying the door but knew she stuck a nail file in the lock.

"No my own child, that I carried for eight months hates my guts!" She shouted

Jonathan put the baby beside his twin and returned to the door, keeping one eye on both of them in case this was a moment that they'd both roll over.

"Come on Darling just come out," He was trying every approach but nothing

Aubrey wondered what all the shouting was about and came in, completely bypassing her brothers and her father, to the bathroom door "Mama what is you doin?"

"Shit," Jennifer muttered "Nothing Baby, Daddy and I are talking" she never wanted her daughter to hear her parents argue

"I hungry!" Aubrey announced

Jennifer quickly washed her face and opened the door, "Well we'll just have to get you some dinner won't we, " She walked over to the bed and put Andrew on her shoulder, "Daddy, can you grab Lucas?"

"Sure," He was constantly amazed by her, one minute hysterics then suddenly into Mommy mode

Mommy mode was taking over because her daughter was determined to die by her third birthday, from taking a jump rope and swinging across the bars of the banister to the opposite wall like Tarzan or attempting to cut her own hair with a pair of scissors

Something had to be done and fast

"That's it!" Jennifer declared after Aubrey left two red hand prints under the Picasso and glued Barbie's head to the Buddha Statue, "We're going to try to time outs,"

"What that?" Aubrey said from the counter where Pearl was trying to get the paint off her hands, Washable paints her ass

"It means you, Missy in the corner, three minutes no toys no nothing, you sit there and think about what you did" Jennifer said putting her in the small chair that was kept at her drawing table against the wall

Except Aubrey was up and down every 10 seconds asking what was the purpose and how come she couldn't play with her dollies, At the rate she was going, she was going to be in law school before preschool

"I miss the old days of discipline," Jonathan said outside her door with Lucas in his arms trying to get him to burp after a large bottle

"When you could beat your kid within an inch of their life and not be brought up on Charges," Jennifer smiled rocking back and forth Andrew in her arms

"Yeah but with my luck, she'd dial 911 on the first try and say "My Daddy Jonathan Hart hit me, and we'd end up as the lead story on TMZ" Jonathan said finally getting a burp out of Lucas," Atta Boy!"

"Well if time outs don't work, what do we try next?" Jennifer said as Andrew yawned and clicked his tongue

"Boot camp for toddlers, "Jonathan smiled " I have an idea"

"Boarding School won't take her until her first offense "Jennifer smiled

"Damn, No I was thinking , we should take the kids and go up the cabin" He smiled back at her, he'd been thinking about it for awhile if someone was after the babies and her, she'd be safer in a secluded area

"You mean organize two infants, a demon two year old and a hormonally challenged wife to the Cabin up in Santa Barbara..you have either pissed someone off in a past life or are looking for sainthood" Jennifer was suspicious

"Well, I figure the fresh air will give the kids some chance to knock off access energy and then we can work off of our excess energy" He leaned in and kissed her lips

"Aha I knew it," She laughed, she couldn't believe he still found her sexy she often looked in the mirror, blew a raspberry at her image and walked away in disgust

"What do you say?" He whispered

"MAMA!CAN I COME OUT NOW!" Aubrey yelled for the fifth time in two minutes

"How fast can you pack?" Jennifer rolled her eyes

She never really realized what an effort it took to pack two adults and three small children, she sent Jonathan out for items in bulk, there was the trip to the grocery store for extra diapers and he went with Aubrey, he did get the diapers but also got her a cookie bigger than her face and a new bouncy ball then there was the trip for more formula and he came back with the formula and a hula hoop

He was incorrigible and his daughter took right after him

Pearl and Max were excited, it would be the first time all alone In the house and they planned to take full advantage of it so they made sure everything was all set for the roadtrip, it was easily a five hour trip and with a two year old who bored easily they knew she would need some form of entertainment so they packed the car with extra puzzles and some coloring books as well as the DVD player, it was while they were loading the car, they noticed something attached to the gates it looked like an envelope

"What's that?" Pearl pointed

"I don't know," Max walked over and noticed it was addressed to Jennifer, " I think we'd better give this to Mr.H, let him deal with it"

"Yeah I'll bring it in," Pearl took the note and walked into the house, and into Jonathan's office where he was clearing up some last minute paperwork and answering some e-mails

"Charlie, this came for you," She stood by the desk and watched him open it

"A Mother's Heart is guided by love for her children especially sons but what happens to that love when the sins of the father take over, I know what you did, it makes me sick I'm telling" attached to the note was a picture of a car accident

"Oh god Charlie, what is going on?" Pearl said reading over his shoulder

"I don't know but I don't like it, that's why I'm taking everyone to the cabin hopefully these notes and that damn doll will go away" Jonathan was becoming unnerved

"But you haven't told Jennifer yet, why?" Pearl asked

"Because she's already stressed out and this would push her over the edge," Jonathan said shoving the note into his desk drawer

Unknown to both of them, Jennifer was standing outside the office door, her reason being that she wanted to ask Jonathan if he remembered where her Ipod was with music for the kids.

"What notes? A damn rag doll," She rolled it over in her head, she wanted to march in there and demand to know what was going on but he would just dismiss her and tell her it's nothing

He was playing with their lives and she was helpless.

Instead she waited a few more minutes and knocked on the office door

"Darling," She started," I was thinking instead of starting out very early in the morning why don't we leave at night that way the kids can sleep and we can drive right through,"

"I think your right," He'd have agreed to anything, the sooner they were out of harms' way, the better., "We'll pack everything during the day and leave at dusk," 

It took six suitcases, two diaper bags and one large bag of toys to get them organized, and Jonathan was sure by the time the car was loaded, he'd need a hernia operation

"Darling, don't you think it's a bit overkill with all this stuff?" He asked trying to figure out room for the stroller as well as the play pack, "We're only going for a month, not until the end of time"

She came around the corner, with Andrew on one shoulder and a bag of bedding in the other," three children under three, Gone are the days of a few clothing and playing naked hide n seek"

" Damn I'll miss those days," He wiped a fake tear from his eyes "but can we still play Socialite and Cabin Boy,"

"Maybe," She laughed as the baby sneezed, "Big sneeze for a little guy,"

"Hey Champ, are you excited to go fishing?" Jonathan took the baby and asked him

"I Think So, Daddy," She kissed his cheek

"MAMA," Aubrey bellowed from the window, "Can I take Maybeth?"

"No Maybeth stays here with Poppa and Aunt Pearl" Jennifer called back

"Whose Maybeth? Did we have a forth kid and no one told me?" Jonathan said crinkling his nose

"That Big Doll Dad sent her when the boys came home," Jennifer rolled her eyes

"I'll never understand little girls and Life size dolls, but we don't have to worry about that do we, Champ?" Jonathan smiled

"Mama PLEASE!" Aubrey yelled

"I said No, Daddy already packed barbies, puzzles as well as the Jr. IPAD, You have plenty of toys," Jennifer said walking into the house

"I want MAYBETH!" Aubrey screamed, startling both Babies

"That's it, Missy five minutes for yelling," Jonathan handed the baby back to Jennifer and walked into Aubrey's room where he found her at the drawing table clutching her large doll by the pig tail

He set the timer and sat her in the chair, where she wailed for 3 of the 5 minutes then as soon as the timer dinged, she hopped up and ran downstairs to the kitchen

"Well she certainly suffered," Jennifer remarked

"We better invest in hair dye because both our heads are going to be grey," Jonathan said watching Lucas kick in his bouncy seat

They put the kids in the car late Friday night, making three trips because Andrew would woke up at the slightest jostle, while Lucas would sleep through an earthquake and Aubrey was determined to fight sleep period because she didn't want to miss a thing, this being her first roadtrip with Mama and Daddy since Kenya.

As Jennifer carried her to the car, She asked sleepily, "Mama, where we going?"

"We're going to a house in the woods surrounded by a beautiful lake, and lots of creatures, Daddy's going to take us out on a boat and we're going to see beautiful mountains," Jennifer kissed her head and put her in the car seat, where she was already half asleep

"Are we ready,?" Jonathan asked carrying the last bag out

"I think so," Jennifer looked nervous, they had never done this before..

"We'll be alright, Darling," Jonathan kissed her head

Max and Pearl came out to say goodbye and after a handshake and kisses goodbye, Jonathan and Jennifer got into to the car and pulled away

"Race to the Jacuzzi" Pearl said running into the house

On the road, They drove in silence, just observing some quiet time and when Jonathan took Jennifer's hand, she had to ask what was going on

"Darling, is there something you're not telling me," She asked quietly

"No, of course not," Jonathan said eyes on the road

"Something with work, anything I feel like your keep something from me," She asked lowering the mirror and looking at the babies sleeping

"Darling, I promise you nothing is wrong" but his fingers were telling another story, she noticed awhile back when he lied, his fingers tended to flinch

She let it go for now, knowing that angering him while he was driving wasn't smart so she turned on a classical music station and they rode in silence, making small conversation every now and then, he told her about a business deal he was working on and she mentioned that she wanted to write an article on what life was like as a mother of three especially to twins.

It wasn't like the conversations they used to have, where they told each other everything because he was holding back and she didn't want to pry.

After awhile, she fell asleep too.

He drove in silence occasionally looking at his gorgeous wife and beautiful children, feeling like a jerk and so blessed but he couldn't tell her,that some nut was possibly coming after her, she didn't need that

They finally got to the cabin, just before dawn when the sun was starting to come up and the kids were beginning to wake up

"Mama, I hungry," Aubrey announced rubbing her eyes

"I know Baby, we'll get inside soon and have breakfast," Jennifer smiled at her from the front seat

"Daddy, where are we?" She asked looking out and seeing nothing but trees

"We're at a lake in Santa Barbara," Jonathan answered her

"Santa?" Aubrey was excited at the thought

"Not that Santa, a more expensive Santa" Jonathan laughed as the boys began to wake up and cry

"Oh Darling, we'd better pull over," Jennifer reaching for a pacifier in the diaper bag at her feet

"Now? We're almost there, it's another 20 minutes tops," Jonathan was determined to get there without stopping

"Alright but let the wailing commence," She knew they were wet and hungry and that they weren't used to waiting, at home the slightest whimper would sent four grown adults running up the stairs

And wail they did, they hit the high notes and Aubrey covered her ears yelling "Mama, Make them Stop!"

They pulled into the driveway of the cabin, Jennifer had forgotten how beautiful it was there, and how serene it was and when she stepped out, she took in a deep breath of fresh and felt Jonathan's arms go around her neck,

"Almost as beautiful as you," He whispered in her ear,

"I love this place and I love you for taking us here," She whispered back

"Mama, let us out!" Aubrey said from the backseat of the car

"Coming Baby," Jennifer said stalling, not wanting to move from this perfect spot

"We'd better let her out before she figures on how to hotwire the car," Jonathan laughed

Jennifer shook her head and went to unlock her daughter from the car seat, "Alright Baby when you get out of the car, you cannot go near the water, do you understand?"

"Yes Mama," Aubrey nodded craning her neck to see the beautiful lake and wanting to play in it but before she could get out of the car seat, Jonathan came to the car and picked her up

"I know how this little mind works," He carried her into the house and into the living room, "Stay here until we come back, don't even think about moving,"

She knew by his tone, that he wasn't kidding and She stayed put while they brought the babies in and unloaded the car

After awhile watching, she was excited to go outside and play but first Jennifer made her eat and wash up first

"Now Can I go?" Aubrey begged as Jennifer changed her clothes

"Alright go find Daddy," Jennifer said watching her run out the door and she turned her attention to the boys, "Alright guys, it's just you and me"

Never have so few words sent such fear down her spine, someone had always been in the house with her and the boys except for in the hospital and even then

She quickly changed Lucas, who was working his way up to a scream since Daddy wasn't around and put him in the vibrating chair, which seemed to calm him..

And turned her attention to Andrew, she had to give him his breathing meds and he, despite only being a few months old , managed to fight her every time, he'd wiggle and try to push her hand away but she knew that this was necessary

"Come on, Chipmunk," She struggled with the nebulizer and the tears forming down her face

Finally she got the device in his mouth and held it so he couldn't spit it out.

After 20 minutes, like the doctors showed her, she put some lung medicine in a needle and pushed into his mouth forcing him to swallow

Finally she was able to give him formula and change him, in time for his nap and to unpack

She didn't know that outside Jonathan was showing Aubrey the lake and pier, and that he was telling her about the fishes and all other creatures under the sea

"Daddy, does Ariel live here?" She asked in wonder

"Ariel? Whose Ariel, Baby?" He asked wondering if she was an imaginary friend

"The Little Mermaid, Daddy," She rolled her eyes

"Oh right," He couldn't remember the name of every Disney movie and was surprised she knew any other movie than the Lion King

He turned back to show her the boats tied to the dock and turned back when he noticed she was gone

"Aubrey?" He called it had been less than a 30 seconds and she had escaped, he looked down at the ocean and he didn't her a splash or see her in the water

"Aubrey Rose Hart , Where are you?" He was beginning to panic


	3. Missing and Lies

Jonathan's heart was caught in his chest, he'd turned his back for one minute and his daughter was suddenly gone, her little legs couldn't have carried her that far could she? As he stared into the ocean hoping to god that she hadn't fallen or jumped in, his thought was immediately for her safety but his standard guy thought was "I'm in so much trouble", his next thought was that maybe someone had snatched her from the pier but she had been told since coming home from Kenya, if anyone were to approach her without the secret word she was to yell scream kick whatever to make someone aware.

They had been so careful for the past few months

He wandered around the lake calling for her but no answer, he tried every place that would be of interest to a two year old but they were on a secluded part of the island, so it was few and far between where she could be without being seen, he searched for her close to a half hour but knew he'd have to back to the house and tell Jennifer he'd let their daughter wonder off.

He walked slowly up the stairs and into the living room where she was reading a book, the boys were in their portacribs asleep and she looked so peaceful with her hair pulled back and glasses on the edge of her nose

"Hi, Darling!" She looked up into his sad eyes," What's wrong? Where's Aubrey?"

"I don't know what happened, I turned to show her something and she took off," Jonathan said bracing for her reaction

"WHAT?" Jennifer screeched jumping up," Jonathan, where is she? This isn't funny!"

"I'm not kidding, she's gone, I looked everywhere, I don't know if she fell into the water or what I didn't hear a splash and I don't know what to do, if I should wait and go to the sheriff's office before I came home to tell you but She took off," He wanted to cry

She was pissed, it didn't matter that he was beating himself up," Jonathan you have to watch her every second!" She started racing around the cabin searching for something

"What are you looking for?" He asked

"I'm going to put the boys into the sling and search for her myself," Jennifer was ripping open suitcases and cartons

"Just go and I'll stay here with the boys," Jonathan offered

She didn't even acknowledge he said that, just ran out the backdoor

"Dad's in real trouble guys," He muttered over the crib," I hope Mama finds Sissy,"

She returned a half hour empty handed, with tears streaming down her face, "I couldn't find her, oh my god Jonathan what if someone took her again, I won't live Jonathan,"

"I know Darling, we'll find her, we'll put the boys in the carriage and look for her, she's gotta be around here somewhere," Jonathan kissed her forehead

They walked around for hours calling her name and by sundown, she was still gone and their nerves were growing shattered as well as hope, the boys were tired, hungry and dirty.

"I'm going to the Sheriff's Department and hopefully they'll know something," Jonathan said once they reached the cabin and had changed the boys,

Jennifer was feeding Andrew his bottle, listening to Jonathan, "I'm coming with you"

"Darling, someone has to stay with the boys," He was adamant she would stay here, he couldn't risk losing her too

"No I know your hiding something and I don't care what it is but this is our daughter, I will not be pushed aside," Her tone was final

"Alright but what about the boys?" He said picking up Lucas, who'd been fed and was currently chewing on his fist

"We'll take them with us," Jennifer said finishing feeding Andrew's bottle and fastening up his fleece onesie

They dressed the boys in their warmest coats and hats, not bothering to take the stroller and drove to Sheriff's station

"Hi, my name is Jennifer Hart, my daughter is missing," Jennifer was breathless, not to not scream or even yell because with Andrew in her arms, he'd start screaming as well

"What my wife is trying to say is that our daughter went missing a few hours ago, we've tried to find her ourselves and we aren't having any luck." Jonathan said coming behind her

"Please sit down for a moment," a female detective said," One of the officer's will be with you,"

They sat down, remembering less than three months ago they had sat in a similar police precinct waiting to speak to someone about their missing daughter.

"Hello, Can I help you," the officer took note of this people in front of him, the wife clutching an infant wearing faded jeans and ski boots with a large diamond ring on her finger and the husband, also clutching an infant, wearing a cashmere sweater and hush puppies, these people obviously had money.

"Yes, we're looking for our daughter, Aubrey Hart," Jennifer spoke quietly

"Alright, Mrs. Hart, we'll get a description of what happened and what she was wearing, we'll start looking for her immediately

"She was wearing a blue sweater, black jeans and Ugg boots," Jennifer said struggling to remember, it had been a few hours earlier

Was she wearing a hat, maybe gloves?" the Officer asked

"No, Not that I know of,"

"Mr. Hart, where were you when she went missing?" The officer wasn't suspicious of them but it didn't make sense, a wealthy couple who could well afford a nanny had lost their daughter in the middle of the woods.

"We were standing at the edge of the pier, and I was showing her the water, I turned my back to show her the boats and when I turned back, she was gone," Jonathan was shifting his weight under the baby, he knew that he should tell them about The notes and doll but if someone had wanted to grab their daughter, why would they pick the middle of the morning to grab her?

As if she could read his mind, Jennifer said through gritted teeth, "Tell them,"

"Tell them what?" Jonathan was shocked at her reaction

"Tell them whatever it is that you're keeping from me!" She demanded

"Alright. Over the past few days I've received some threatening notes, a rag doll with a knife in its heart and I came out off the office the other day to find Baby Snatcher keyed into the car." Jonathan confessed

"What? How could you keep this from me?"

"I didn't want you to stress you even more, my intention was just to have our security deal with it." Jonathan said seeing the rage in her eyes

"Is that why you took us up here? I guess it all makes sense now... But how could you lie to me?" Jennifer had never been so angry or hurt by him.

"I wasn't trying to lie to you," Jonathan was defenseless because although he knew his intentions were good, he understood he'd made a cardinal mistake and now it looked like their daughter would suffer as a result.

"We'll get a team of searchers and divers out to your place and begin our search immediately, if you could provide us with more information on those notes and things that would be great." the police officer cut in

Jonathan gave Jennifer the baby and went to continue speaking with the officer, by now she was working on a level of fear, and rage

"Mrs. Hart, would you like some help with your boys?" a female detective asked

"No, thank you." She wasn't going to let them go she was hanging on to them as if they were a life preserver.

Lucas began to cry setting off Andrew and she realized that they both needed to be changed again.

She tried to maneuver Andrew to her shoulder but he was screaming so loudly now, it wasn't working so she bent down to pick up the Diaper bag Jonathan had left by her foot, sidestepped and crashed into the side of the desk, sending both boys flying and hitting the ground.

"Oh my god, my babies!" She cried opening her eyes after a few seconds, two deputies had rushed over and had picked up both boys, and she had never been so embarrassed in her life or so afraid that she had seriously hurt her boys.

But both of them were up to screeching sounds now and Jonathan came running out, "What is going on here?"

"I need your help!" She nearly shouted

"I'm so sorry Darling," He picked her up off the floor and turn to the deputies, who were holding the boys

After Jennifer was on her feet and they went into the bathroom to change the boys, she refused to look him the eyes, her coldness was evidence that he'd broken her trust and he knew he would have to earn it back.

Piece by Piece

After making their way back to the sheriff's office, it was a waiting game and when Jonathan tried to hold Jennifer's hand, she pulled away and instead she concentrated on her boys who in spite of their tumble, were okay and falling back to sleep.

The minutes turned into hours and still no news, a few times a sheriff told them to go back to the cabin but he knew it wasn't going to happen, they couldn't go without knowing where their daughter was, they had lost her before and this time it wouldn't take a year.

Jennifer had fallen asleep sitting up with Andrew in her lap, while Jonathan was wide-wake, he'd never sleep knowing that somewhere his daughter was out there, scared and alone.

The sun was just coming up over the horizon when a deputy came rushing in…

"Mr. Hart?" He asked breathlessly

"Yes?" Jonathan's throat closed and he nearly choked on the words.

"We think we found your daughter."

"Alive?" he didn't even want to say it but it had to be said

"Yes sir, a fellow deputy will be bringing her in shortly," the deputy was happy sometimes these things ended in tragedy

"Darling," He whispered in her ear, "Darling"

"What-?" She was startled and when she jumped, the baby in her lap as well," Aubrey?"

"They found her, they'll be bring her in soon," He saw the relief and tears in her eyes

"Thank god," She sent her thanks up the heavens that she wouldn't have to bury her daughter again

A little later the Deputy came in with Aubrey in his arms, her face dirty and tired

"My baby!" Jennifer cried, "Where have you been? Don't ever go off like that again!" She handed Andrew to Jonathan and grabbed Aubrey out of the sheriff's arms and hugged her, tears streaming down her face.

"Mama, I sorry," She was tired and wanted to go home, she knew that this would get her in so much trouble but she had seen a doggie and followed him.. She'd be lucky if she didn't wind up with the back of her Mama's brush to her behind

"She was about 200 yards from your cabin, a woman had noticed her walking up the beach and when she asked her name your daughter refused to answer so the woman took her inside and didn't know whether to call us or not, just in case she was abandoned. She'd seen a woman walking a dog and thought they might be together but the woman disappeared. When we did a door to door, your daughter was asleep on her couch."

"Thank you so much," Jonathan said kissing his daughter's head, "Let's go home."

"Mr. Hart, we have paperwork that needs to be completed, but you can take your family home to get some rest and we'll have somebody stop by to see you later." The female officer smiled sympathetically. Her shift was over and she was heading home to her own children now.

"Thank you." Jonathan said carrying both boys as the officer held open the door for them. Jennifer had Aubrey and the diaper bag and she followed him out.

The journey back was done in silence with all three children drifting off to sleep and Jennifer staring out of the passenger window, deep in thought. Jonathan couldn't quite read her, although her body language had screamed relief as well as anger so he hoped that when they were able to talk she would listen to his explanation and they could sort things out.

Back at the cabin Jonathan unfastened Lucas' car seat and Jennifer did Andrew's from her side and lifted him out. Jonathan took him from her, allowing Jennifer to get Aubrey who was in the middle.

She had expected Aubrey to waken up but to her relief she carried on sleeping so she carried her to her bed and laid her down after pulling back the comforter. Smiling she removed her daughter's beloved Ugg boots and put them on the floor then put the bed guard up. Leaning across she kissed her softly and left the room.

Jonathan had placed the boys' car seats down on the floor at the side of their bed and he was sitting on the edge with his head down when Jennifer came through. Noting both boys were asleep she took her boots and jeans off then pulled her sweater over her head and got in to bed with just a t-shirt and underwear on. She didn't think the boys would sleep long so she was anxious to try and get some sleep while she could.

Jonathan didn't move and when she looked over at him she could see he had tears on his cheeks. Immediately she felt her heart constrict as she knew he would have been as scared as she had been.

"Jonathan, try and get some sleep and we'll talk later." She spoke softly and he nodded before getting up and removing his top layer of clothing too. Minutes later they were both asleep.

Two hours later Jennifer woke up and thought at first that Jonathan had moved and was lying across her until she lifted her head and realized it was Aubrey who was on top of the covers in-between her parents. Her head was on Jonathans back and her legs were on top of Jennifer's.

Jennifer moved slowly hoping to be able to turn her daughter round but Aubrey's eyes snapped open and she looked at her Mama. Jennifer smiled and lifted the covers up inviting Aubrey to climb under and in to her embrace. They snuggled down together and slept for another hour until Andrew woke up.

Jennifer got out of bed quickly to get Andrew before he woke Lucas, she put on her robe and when she turned back to look at the bed Aubrey was sliding backwards off it and dropping softly on to her feet. She followed her Mama and brother through to the living room where Jennifer put the car seat down and spoke quietly to Aubrey.

"Talk to your brother sweetie while I go and get him a bottle." Aubrey nodded and knelt down in front of Andrew. Smiling she touched his hand and he smiled back at her.

"Good Drew." She said as Jennifer took out a sterilized bottle and a carton of ready made formula and a couple of minutes later they were sitting on the sofa together as Jennifer fed Andrew. Aubrey moved from sitting next to Jennifer to lying with her head on her lap despite Andrew's feet moving against her head as he drank his milk. She didn't seem to mind and Jennifer wondered, not for the first time, exactly what was going on in her little head.

Jennifer knew she'd been a little unreasonable with Jonathan and although she was still angry with him for being careless she knew he'd never do anything to deliberately put their children in danger. Aubrey, as young as she was, was very single minded and if she'd decided to go off on an adventure she would have just done it. She had no sense of fear when she was fixed on doing something and Jennifer hoped and prayed it was something she'd grow out of but in the mean time Jonathan was going to have to be extra vigilant when he was with her.

The thought that someone was targeting their family filled Jennifer with fear and fury. Part of her was still angry that Jonathan had kept it from her because she'd ended up feeling humiliated at the Police station but she could also understand that he was trying to protect her.

From who though, that was the main thing she was trying to decide.

These incidents weren't coincidental, she was sure they must be connected to Elliot but she couldn't figure out what the connection was. She and Jonathan really did need to talk, and calmly. They needed to work out exactly what was going on and how to put a stop to it before they or their children were put in any more danger.

After Andrew finished his bottle Jennifer changed him and Aubrey helped by handing her wipes and a diaper. Once he was comfortable again Jennifer put him in the portacrib and gave him a pacifier while she went to check on Lucas.

Jonathan was still sleeping but Lucas was stirring so Jennifer lifted his car seat and carried him through to join his brother and sister in the living room.

Aubrey repeated the process with Lucas that she'd done with Andrew, talking to him while Jennifer made him up a bottle too, and when she lifted him out of the car seat to feed him Aubrey sat on the sofa beside them.

By the time Lucas had been fed and changed Aubrey was lying on the sofa with her Simba and once Jennifer had given Lucas his pacifier and placed him in beside Andrew she went to her.

"Would you like some breakfast now sweetie?"

Aubrey sat up as Jennifer held her hand out to her, and she got off the sofa and went to her.

"Yes please!"

"Ok. You've been a good girl helping me with your brother's, thank you."

Jennifer lifted Aubrey and put her on her booster seat at the table in the kitchen and went to the fridge to take out the apple juice and pour some in to her Disney Princess cup. While she was drinking her juice Jennifer made her scrambled eggs and a slice of toast and sat with her while she ate it, trying to think how to work what had happened the day before in to the conversation.

She decided that there was no point in trying to trick Aubrey, she was better just asking her straight out so she did.

"What happened when you were with Daddy looking at the water Aubrey?"

"Saw boats."

"That's right, there were boats… But when Daddy wanted to show you them you weren't there. Where did you go?"

"Saw doggie."

"You saw a dog?" Jennifer asked and Aubrey nodded. "Was the dog by itself?"

"The lady said hello Aubrey."

"What lady was that sweetie?" Jennifer was trying to figure out if it was the woman who'd taken her in, or someone who'd tried to lure her away. It seemed odd that she'd said someone called her by her name.

Aubrey was thinking about the question and Jennifer watched her, taken aback by the serious look on her little face.

"The lady gived me Kanga!" Aubrey said suddenly, pleased with herself that she'd remembered who the lady that she had seen the day before was.

"The lady who gave you Kanga?" Jennifer repeated, and a split second later she felt her blood run cold.

The Avon Lady….

"Mama, where is you going?" Aubrey asked When Jennifer jumped up and started to run into the bedroom where Jonathan was sleeping

"Go watch cartoons," Jennifer didn't want Aubrey to hear the panic in her voice but she knew instantly that Aubrey didn't just wonder off

She had been dangerously close to being kidnapped again

"Jonathan!" She shook his shoulders but knew he wouldn't respond unless she yelled, instead she went to the bathroom, got a cup of cold water and threw it in his face

"What?" Jonathan jumped up, water dripping down his face, "Darling, why am I soaking wet?"

"Never mind that, we have to go back to LA now," She started pulling out suitcases in a panic,

"What? Why?" Jonathan was confused, two minutes he'd been dreaming about Vail and making love in a cave, now he was soaked and wondering why his wife was running around the room, throwing clothes into bags

"Someone is after our children and we're not safe here," She had never been so frightened in her life and never wanted to retreat as fast

"What happened?" He demanded, they had been here for less than 24 hours and he wasn't about to make that trek all the way back to Beverly Hills without a logical reason.

"Aubrey didn't walk away from you at the piers, someone tried to kidnap her!" Jennifer was usually so careful about folding and making sure everything was perfect but now every fiber of her being was scream "Grab your kids and RUN!"

"Darling, stop for a second," Jonathan was getting seasick from watching her go back and forth

"I can't, we have to go home!" Jennifer was about two seconds away from leaving everything behind and just taking the kids, nothing mattered except them

"Jennifer, STOP!" Jonathan didn't want to raise his voice but she was crying and yelling, it wasn't healthy for her at all

"Please Jonathan, we need to go home..I can't handle knowing that someone is after our children, listen to me..I am your wife!" She was adamant

"And I am your husband, who's asking you for us to stay here just a few more days, we won't let Aubrey out of our sight and we'll make sure one of us is with the boys at all times but Darling, we can't run for the rest of our lives…Isn't that what you're constantly telling me?" He grabbed her and pulled her into his chest

"I'm just so confused," She gave up and hugged him like she'd never let go, "What are we going to do?"

"We'll just live our lives and hope that we're headed to a good place," Jonathan kissed her forehead," In the meantime, Let's take them out to the mountains for a hike,"

"Alright," She knew that at some point they would have to talk about what happened in the police station but for now, she needed to stay in the moment and stay alert

For her children's sake.

After a long walk in the mountains, which with two infants and a whiny two year old is never easy, they made a camp fire outside of the cabin and Aubrey had her very first roasted marshmallow

"Mama, it tastes funny!" She crinkled her nose, "Can I just have the chocolate instead,"

"No Missy, you'll be up all night..As it is, when we go inside, Daddy's going have to give you a bath," There wasn't one inch of Aubrey that wasn't covered in dirty, mud or marshmallow, as it was her hair was caked as well and they'd be lucky if shampoo would get it out, otherwise Jennifer might have to break out her scissors and cut the sticky substance out of Aubrey's hair

Jonathan sat back and looked between his girls, amazed that his daughter at age two could banter right back with her mother, She'd be a terrifying teenager but the thought made him smile

"And what's got you so happy, Buster," Jennifer knowing what he was smiling about

"Not a thing my love," He said poking the fire, listening to the baby monitor, the boys were asleep but with the monitor and the door open Jonathan could hear them scream

"Uh Huh.." Jennifer looked up and suddenly saw a shooting star, "Oh Baby, come here, look!,"

"What that, Mama," Aubrey walked to where her mother was standing, Jennifer picked her up and whispered, "That's a shooting star, when you close your eyes and make a wish, good things happen"

"I make a wish Mama!" Aubrey yelled then closed her eyes

"Ready, One two three..Wish!" Jennifer whispered in her ear, along with her own wish

"Baby, what did you wish for," Jonathan asked

"I can't tell you, Daddy!" Aubrey rolled her eyes then rubbed them

"Baby, why don't you go get your jammies, Mama and I will be inside in a minute," Jonathan suggested sensing she was heading down the tantrum road soon

" Okay Daddy," She was tired, it had been a long day.. she walked to the house and inside, keeping the door open..

"So tell me, Daddy, what did you wish for?" Jennifer said hugging her husband

"Hmm, that the kids would sleep through the night," He closed one eye..

"That's all," She feigned disappointment knowing what he'd really wished for," That's too bad .."

"Why's that?" Jonathan said studying her face

"Because I wished for something we've both wanted for a long time," She started to walk away

"Can I take mine back," He watched her walk into the house

"Never!" She laughed at him

"Come on, Redo!" He called after her…

He knew that she'd forgiven him for the moment but not completely…


	4. Decisions and Payback

Although Jonathan had convinced her to stay, Jennifer still wasn't sure it was a good idea, she believed they were sitting targets and that by staying at the cabin, they were more likely to be attacked and because of this, She made every desperate attempt to ensure their safety, from moving Aubrey into their bedroom along with the portacribs and making sure that after 9oclock they never left the bedroom and that if Aubrey needed to get up, that she or Jonathan was with her at all times..She was paranoid and it was becoming more and more evident

Especially when she started putting furniture under the door to make sure that if someone came after them, she would hear the scraping noise and it would give enough time to get out the window

"There's a fine line between insanity and protectiveness," Jonathan remarked after noticing she was sleeping in her tennis sneakers

"Well since you are insistent on staying here, I'm ensuring our safety," She knew she could be going a lot further, her next step was adding bells to the windows and doors, if they were going to be here at, the least he could do was humor her

Except their once king size bed, that took up almost the entire room was now suddenly feeling cramped between the boys' portacribs, Aubrey and her menagerie of stuffed animals, plus her Barbie dolls, Dad was feeling enclosed, "Darling, this was supposed to be a time for us to reconnect, remember?" he was beginning to feel the stages of blue balls, sexual frustration was never a friend to him and being used to having it twice day and suddenly having it taken away, was nearly painful

Although she loved making love to him, she didn't feel sexy at all and her priorities were of concern for their children, if it were a choice between sex and their safety, she'd gladly return to celibacy to ensure their survival "Well, we could always return home to a life behind the gates and our bedroom door ..." Jennifer had put the boys on the bed and was hoping that being on their backs would give them a chance to figure out how to roll over except Lucas was content on his back while Andrew was becoming frustrated his tiny face filled with tears dripping down his chubby cheeks

"Never mind," He knew that she wasn't serious but he wouldn't put it past her

"Besides, how many more chances will we have for it just being us and them?" She pointed out, although Pearl and Max were fantastic in their own right, she was adamant that she and Jonathan would be the primary caregivers and that they would grow up in a house without Nannies or house keepers

Unspoiled despite a privileged upbringing.

He looked at all three of his small children, each of their personalities so different especially the twins, realizing how fast time was passing and that before he knew it, Aubrey would be in preschool and the boys would begin to crawl and that because of his hectic schedule, he'd miss key moments in their lives that would he make every desperate attempt not to, now was the time to appreciate every moment.

"You're right, Darling,"

The next few days were idyllic, Jonathan took Aubrey fishing, explaining how the reel would catch the fish and that Mama would cook the fish they brought home except she'd seen the little Mermaid and was determined to free the fish, she managed to nearly go head first into the water but Jonathan, thinking quickly grabbed her by the life jacket just before she went in.

Jennifer in the meantime, had figured out that while the boys hated the swing, they loved the feeling of the hammock, and when they would become fussy, she'd lay down with them and completely relax, it was the first time she felt completely bonded to them especially Lucas who'd stopped fighting her and screaming in her general direction, it also helped that she would tire them out by taking long walks around the mountains.

It was after a long walk, while Jonathan took Aubrey swimming in the lake, that she came back with the boys to find a note stuck in between the screen doors, curiously, she ripped it open to find a Polaroid picture of their house and a note that read "I tried once before and I'll do it again, nothing will stop me, I'm taking my daughter back, I know what you did it makes me sick, I'm telling,"

Jennifer parked the stroller on the porch, and ran down to the pier where Aubrey was splashing

"Jonathan!" She called frantically running as fast as her legs would carry her, she looked around but didn't see them, he said he would be right at the end of the pier, that he wouldn't leave because he didn't know how long their daughter would last in the cold water and want to run in for a warm bath.

She waited for a few more minutes then ran back to the porch, where the boys had fallen asleep in the stroller, she stuffed the note into her sweater pocket and went inside to wait impatiently.

Jonathan came back an hour later, with Aubrey in his arms along with some seashells, both of them were drenched and shivering

"Mama! Lookit what Daddy founded!" She proudly showed the shells to her mother, who for her daughter's sake, slapped a smile on her face and took her from Jonathan's arms.

"That's great Baby! Let's get you out of the sandy bathing suit and into a warm tub!" Jennifer tried to act excited but inside she was having a meltdown, "Daddy, there was something waiting for you in the screen door, could you reach into my pocket and grab it?"

"Is it something Daddy's going to love?" Jonathan said reaching into her pocket as she walked into the bathroom and turned on the water, he opened the envelope first looking at the Polaroid and then reading the letter, his blood getting cold.

There was no time to screw around, he had to do something and fast.

"Darling," He walked into the bathroom just as Jennifer plopped Audrey into the tub, soaping up her long red hair, "Can we talk for a minute?"

"Alright, Baby, Daddy and I are just going outside this door, I want you to stay close to the side of the tub and don't get out for any reason," Jennifer instructed but it was useless because Aubrey was content on drowning her Barbie.

She followed Jonathan right outside the bathroom door.

"I saw the letter and I think you're right, we're sitting targets..I think what's best is if we create a diversion, I'll go back to LA alone, you and the kids stay here," Jonathan wasn't finished speaking but she was already shaking her head.

"No, absolutely not, we're going back with you, I won't lose you." Jennifer was adamant, they were a family damn it and she was determined that they would stick together until the bitter end.

"Darling, I know it's hard to think about but it's necessary," Jonathan said, "I'll be back before the week is out."

"No, we're married we stick through this together, if you walk out that door without us, don't bother coming back, " She was bluffing and he knew it but she had to make some sort of threat, this wasn't about revenge or ultimatums it was about them sticking together like they had done in the past

"Alright, but let's hurry and get out of here before anyone realizes we're gone." Jonathan agreed even thought it was against his better judgment.

Jennifer only packed the bare essentials, their clothes, the toys and a few other minor items, the rest they could come back or send someone for them later on and After pulling Aubrey out of the tub and putting her into her jammies, she realized that her daughter hadn't even eaten dinner yet, so she threw together some trail mix and other foods that could be eaten on the journey, along with a cup full of juice and put her in her car.

"Mama, where we go now?" Aubrey asked noticing the worried look her face

"We're going home to see Poppa Max and Aunty Pearl." Jennifer gave the car seat belt an extra tug to make sure that Aubrey was completely in and couldn't free herself if she wanted, although they had told her from the start she would have to wait for one of them to let her out, Jennifer knew that she had watched while they buckled her in and observed on how to let herself in and out.

Jonathan brought the boys out in their carriers, Andrew was wide wake but Lucas had fallen asleep with his thumb in his mouth blissfully unaware of what was going on.

She put the boys into their car seats, kissed their small heads, whispered she loved them and made sure the door was locked when she got into the front seat.

"Are we ready?" Jonathan said getting into the front, observing that his wife was in the process of biting down to the nub of her manicured nails

"As we'll ever be," She gave him a nervous smile.

"We'll be fine as soon as we get back to Willow Pond." He tried to reassure her but he was doubtful of that one himself.

They rode down the mountain in silence, as they got further and further, she noticed that he was picking up speed.

"Jonathan, please slow down!" She said gripping the car door handle

"I'm trying but something's wrong, are you sure the kids and you are buckled in tightly?" He asked stomping on the brakes but they were pressed all the way to the floor, any harder and he'd be flintstoning it home.

"Yes!" She said white knuckling the door

"Mama, why is Daddy going fast?" Aubrey asked but no one answered her

"Hold On!" Jonathan swerved the wheel and threw the emergency brake, they skidded forward for about two minutes before coming to a stop at an angle on the side of the mountain

As soon as the car was stopped, Jennifer jumped out and immediately went to the backseat to check on the kids, Lucas was still asleep and Andrew was staring at the fish mobile attached to the car seat blissfully unaware.

"Mama, what happened?" Aubrey asked drinking some of her juice

"I don't know, Baby, I'm going to talk to Daddy" Jennifer kissed each of their heads before going to the front of the car where Jonathan had gotten out to figure out what happened

"Are they alright?" Was his immediate question as soon as she came around the side.

"They're fine, Jonathan what the hell happened?" She demanded crossing her arms

"I think someone cut the brakes," Jonathan said quietly

Jennifer stared at him realizing that he was completely serious and her fury quickly turned to fear.

"We could all have been killed." She said quietly and Jonathan walked to her and took her in his arms. This time she didn't fight him, she let him hold her.

After a few moments Jonathan pulled back slightly and Jennifer looked up at him. "We need to get out of here Darling. I'll call and see how quickly we can get another car brought up." Jonathan took his phone from his pocket.

"Ok." Jennifer nodded.

"In the meantime I think we should get back in the car and try to be careful what we say in front of Aubrey."

"Jonathan, what is going on here?"

"I don't know for sure. It looks like someone is out to avenge us for what happened with Elliot, his jilted bride is my best guess but we need to find out for sure who she was and why she thinks we're to blame when it was he who kidnapped our daughter."

The two hour wait in the car seemed endless and Aubrey was unsettled. She needed the toilet twice and was at least amused briefly by the notion of her Mama allowing her to pee outdoors. The boys both needed fed and changed which wasn't an easy task in the car but concentrating on the children took their minds off being sitting targets.

They were both relieved when the tow truck appeared with another SUV for them and it didn't take long to swap all their belongings and the children over to the new car. They left the guy hooking their car up and headed for home in the rental one.

It was dark by the time they drove through the gates at Willow Pond, passing a couple of security cars on their way in. Max and Pearl were waiting for them and Aubrey danced around them while they were helping unload the car so nobody mentioned what had happened until after she was in bed.

All the children were asleep and the adults gathered around the kitchen table to discuss everything that had gone on. Pearl looked closely at Jennifer and frowned, she looked frightened and exhausted.

"When will you know what happened with the car?" Max asked

"First thing tomorrow hopefully." Jonathan replied

"Are you letting the Police handle this?"

"Yes and no. I am letting them deal with it, but I'm doing some background myself too. I need to find out about Elliot's bride, who she is, where she is…"

"I can help you with that Charlie." Pearl offered.

"Thanks Pearl. I'll take whatever help I can get to keep my family safe."

"What I don't understand is her saying she's going to take her baby back. She must know Aubrey was never hers! Aubrey would have recognized her as being someone she knew if she'd ever seen her before. She might only be two but she's not stupid." Jennifer told them. "She told me that the woman at the cabin was the woman who'd given her Kanga so she would have known if she'd seen her before that."

"Jennifer is right." Jonathan agreed. "Aubrey would have recognized her."

"Unless Elliot is behind this?"

"I'm sure after what the boys did to him he's long gone Jennifer." Pearl told her

"I've thought that before and was wrong…"

Jonathan looked at her and could see how exhausted she was, he reached across the table and squeezed her hand.

"Why don't we get some sleep while the kids are settled? We can go over everything again in the morning once we've had a decent sleep."

"I don't know if I can sleep."

"Nobody is going to get anywhere near us, we're all safe Jennifer."

"We are for now but we can't stay locked up here forever Jonathan."

"I know that, but we need to take it a day at a time and the best way for us to deal with it is to be properly rested."

Jennifer nodded and stood up, and Jonathan did too. They both said good night and left Max and Pearl sitting at the table as they headed up to bed.

"What do you think Pearl?"

"I don't think it's Manning, it's more likely to be the woman. I'll start with the hotel where the Wedding was due to take place and see if we can get a trace on her. Somebody will know something. Whoever was conducting the Wedding must have her details…"

"That's a great thought."

"I'm full of good ideas!" Pearl smiled and Max returned it

"I know you are."

Upstairs Jennifer took a quick shower while Jonathan made a couple of calls to the security people. When he came through to their bedroom after his shower their bed was empty and the door was open so he went looking for his wife.

He found her in the nursery standing over the boys crib. Both Lucas and Andrew were sleeping and they looked so angelic. They were both in the same crib, lying on their backs with their hands touching.

Slipping his arm around Jennifer's waist Jonathan stood with her in silence for a few moments looking at their son's and thinking about what had almost happened to them all. He'd gotten himself into a few scrapes over the years but nothing had scared him as much as the thought of someone trying to kill his family.

He'd grown up an orphan and had always wanted to be part of a real family and it seemed so unfair that now that he had his own he had to fight so hard to keep them.

"It must be nice to have not a care in the world." Jennifer whispered watching the boys sleeping peacefully.

Jonathan wanted to tell her that their childhoods would always be carefree, but he knew he couldn't guarantee that until whoever was after them had been taken care of.

After a moment Jennifer turned towards him and Jonathan wasn't sure what he could see in her beautiful eyes. She was frightened and sad and angry, but was her anger directed at him?

Jennifer saw anger and frustration when she looked at her husband, along with a dose of fear, and she understood that keeping his family safe was the most important thing in the world to him. She was the one who'd brought Elliot in to their lives which was why she had been so determined to get him out, but her actions had put the boys in danger and she couldn't think straight about what to do any more. She needed Jonathan to be strong for her too now, needed him to take control and get them out of this mess.

She had to put her complete trust and faith in him and let him do what he needed to. She had always been proud to be a strong independent woman but now it was time to just be a wife and Mom and let Jonathan look after all of them.

They stood looking at each other and Jennifer made the first move towards him. Jonathan smiled and pulled her in to his arms, holding her tightly against him as he felt her relax in to his embrace.

After a few minutes they left the nursery hand in hand and stopped to look in on Aubrey. She was sound asleep too, lying on her tummy with her hair across her face. Jennifer leant down and gently moved it back before kissing her daughter's cheek and as she stood up she saw all three Simba toys in a line at the bottom of the bed which made her smile. Jonathan kissed Aubrey too and they gently closed the door as they left and walked to their room across the hall.

Jonathan closed the double doors behind him and stood a moment watching Jennifer take off her robe and get in to bed. She smiled at him and he crossed the room to join her.

Jonathan held Jennifer in his arms and they talked quietly about everything that had happened recently.

"I really thought all of the bad stuff was behind us after the boys got home from hospital. I just wanted us to start enjoying being a family, doing normal every day things without having to have security patrols and our children behind locked gates to keep them safe."

"We'll find out what's going on, who's threatening us. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you and our children are safe and happy. I know that going to the cabin should have been a way to protect you all but it wasn't and I need to think again while whoever is trying to harm us is still out there. We'll leave the country if we have to. We can go anywhere in the world."

"We shouldn't have to leave our home Jonathan."

"I know we shouldn't darling, but if that's what it takes to protect you all until the threat is gone then we'll do it. We can go to London, you love London."

"I do love London and we'll take the children there sometime, but I think we need to be where they're familiar with everything. You have a company to run so you need to be here too."

"Nothing is more important to me that you and our babies. Nothing." Jonathan held her closer to him and kissed her head which was resting on his chest.

"I know that and I trust you to take care of all of us."

"First thing tomorrow I'll get people looking for the woman that Aubrey saw and I won't rest until she's no longer a threat."

"Ok, but before that we both need some sleep." Jennifer told him.

"I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep, I'm so keyed up." Jonathan said. He felt like he couldn't relax enough to fall asleep.

Jennifer lifted her head and looked in to his face and he met her gaze. She moved her body until she was lying on top of him and she kissed him softly on the lips before whispering that she'd help him to relax. Jonathan smiled and entwined his hands in her hair as he held her and kissed her again.

For the rest of the night, they made love and reconnected with each other body, soul and mind and when dawn broke, She was laying on Jonathan listening to him breathe as he slept and thinking about how grateful she was to have such a wonderful man.

And how he had such a stupid wife who allowed herself and their children to be put into danger

Although they had vowed to stick together through whatever would be thrown at them, she had to fix this without him.

Her first plan of action was to go back to where everything began, all the way back to Hillhaven and recount every moment from the time Aubrey was born and see if she could weave together what happened

It was a long shot that even two years could not trace completely

She quietly got up, pulling the sheet around her and went Into the bathroom to change, taking her Chanel carry on bag with her as well, she quickly got dressed, packed the bag and went back out to the bedroom where Jonathan was sound asleep, his arm across her side of the bed like he thought she was still there

"Forgive me for leaving like this, my darling but I'll be back," She whispered

She walked back into the babies room and kissed their sweet head, promising to finish and return home to be the Mama they deserved and finally before she left the second floor, she went into Aubrey's room and sat on the edge of her bed

"I promise that this will be over soon and that no one will ever hurt you, and that Mama will be back as soon as possible..I hope I'm making the right decision," She quietly began to cry, "I promise we'll be together soon..I won't give up, no matter what"

She quickly pulled the covers up to Aubrey's chin, putting her little leg back under the covers which always seem to pop out while her baby slept and started to leave but just before she was out the door, Jennifer doubled back and kissed her daughter on the nose

"Mama,?" Aubrey woke up and was startled to see her Mama standing over her, dressed even though it was still dark out

"I didn't mean to wake you up Baby, go back to sleep" Jennifer studied her small face

"Why you dressed?" Aubrey rubbed her eyes

"I have to go visit Grandpa for a bit but I promise I'll be home super soon," Jennifer started to cry again and turned her back pretending to pick up the flung Simba, who always somehow got tossed across the room

"Okay Mama" Aubrey rolled over and went back to sleep

Jennifer left the first floor and was tiptoeing before she realized that Max was at the guest house and that it was ridiculous, She filled up her travel mug and went to her car, throwing her travel bag in the backseat and turning on the car, jumping a mile when the radio blasted the wheels on the bus, she had forgotten that she had cranked it up for Aubrey when they were last in the car together

Backing out of the garage, she idled the engine while looking at the once happy home at Willow Pond and how she never thought she would have to leave to chase after some maniac

Shaking her head, Jennifer drove out the white gates and down the road, Leaving Her Hart behind

Jonathan woke up a few hours later, smiling at the fact that he and his amazing wife had finally made love after a few very long months, her pregnancy, recovery and then the whole incident at the cabin, he rolled over expecting to see her beautiful hair spread across the pillows and her sleeping form but found her side of the bed empty

Sitting up, he noticed the bathroom light was and figured she was inside taking a bath before the chaos of the morning started

"Darling?" He called but got no answer figuring she fell asleep in the tub he got up and walked into the bathroom but she wasn't in there

Maybe she was in the nursery, they might have woken up and she went in there but once he was in the nursery she wasn't in the chair by the nursery like she usually was , checking the crib where the boys were, Lucas was sound asleep but Andrew was studying the circus mobile above his tiny head, he always seemed to be studying everything around him like he was keeping mental notes

"Hey Buddy, did you happen to see where your Mama went?" Jonathan picked up the baby and quickly changed him

Not expecting a response anyway, he put Andrew back in the crib and figured he'd change Lucas while he was sleeping because once Lucas was awake, he'd scream right through until he was being fed

Just as he was buttoning back up the onesie, Aubrey came in, dragging Simba by his tail, the poor lion looked like he'd been beaten up but she had refused to even let her Mama run him through the washing machine, what she didn't know what that every night went to sleep, her mama would quietly kidnap Simba and run him through..

It was a good thing Aubrey slept like dead weight

"Hi Daddy" She seemed to be in a good mood which lately was a rarity in the morning

"Hi Baby" He kissed her head, she was getting so tall"Is Mama in your room making the bed"

"No Daddy, Mama gone" She wondered over to the crib to observing Andrew .she wasn't allowed to play with him through the bars of the crib anymore after she tried to pull his foot through and it got stuck, causing Daddy to remove a bar and Mama to put her in time out

"Do you know where she is?"

"Yup with Grandpa,"

"With Grandpa?" Jonathan thought maybe Aubrey was confused, "you mean with Poppa?"

"No I said Grandpa" She put her hands on her hips, she may be only two but she was far from stupid, Daddy of all people should know that

"Baby, why don't you go downstairs and watch cartoons until it's time for breakfast," Jonathan suggested worrying that his wife had finally cracked up and abandoned their family

He went into office and noticing the light on his blackberry flashing indicting he had a message

"Darling, I love you and our children so much but I think I think to figure this out on my own and I can do it faster knowing that you are with our children safe. I promise on the stars and all the goodness in the world I will come home as soon as I finish this..Please don't come after me, I'll get through this faster alone but I promise, promise, promise I'll come home to you..Last night was exactly the motivation I needed," She took a breathe "I took something of your to get me through the long night," he heard voices in the background, "Oh Darling I have to go, I love you and our children, kiss them for me," the message ended

He was angry with her but understood that this was her journey to get herself back to the place where she belonged wherever it was.

He thought about using the GPS in her car to find out where she was headed but knew she had enough sense to turn it off and that her credit cards would be a huge clue into finding her but he knew she probably hit an ATM and just got enough cash so she wouldn't need her cards. His only clue was that she was headed back to Maryland.

Jillian John was furious, she had been so sure that this would be the opportunity to get Elliot's daughter in Santa Barbara would be so easy, the kid was easy to scoop up because that stupid Jonathan Hart had turned his back and seeing as how SHE had raised that baby from Infancy, she had a right to get that kid back

But no Jennifer Hart was determined to put up a fight over something that didn't belong to her and every opportunity that was presented ended up being ruined, each time adding more and more fury to Jillian's mind

It was bad enough that Elliot was missing, she felt lost without him and she knew that he needed her just as well..it was all that damn Hart woman's fault.

But she was so close to getting that girl and both those boys back, She'd doing anything even if it included murder. She'd been disappointed to hear that they had survived on the mountain when the brakes failed and now she would need to think of something even cleverer.

What was it about her that made her so alluring to men? Jennifer Hart was boney and her hair flew out in every direction plus she was a whiner and really if Jonathan Hart hadn't married her, she'd be a spinster

And what about her made Elliot crazy? He'd insisted that Jillian dye her hair that carrot orange and when he made love to her, he whispered "Jennifer" which made her furious and she would climb off in frustration, just once she would have liked to have heard him whisper her name but No..

And now that bitch had HER babies, the family Jillian was supposed to have with Elliot, when he first brought the baby to her in Kenya, she was so sure that would make him fall in love with her more but he seemed to distance from her even more..He only paraded them out when he brought home business associates and then she'd have to stay with the baby in her part of the manor but that didn't matter he still considered Jillian his wife, even if it was common law

It was to be official but then that Bitch and her "associates" did something to Elliot right before the wedding ceremony, Jillian stood in her bridal gown for hours waiting for him to appear but nothing, not a note, an email anything, She knew that Jennifer Hart had something to do with him missing because she saw from the bridal suite her and Jonathan arguing in front of HER daughter

That bitch would have to pay for everything she caused Jillian to lose and Jillian wouldn't stop until she got those kids back.


	5. Researching the Past

After getting the children organised Jonathan did the only thing he could reasonably do, he called Stephen who was fortunately an early riser, and told him that he thought Jennifer might be on her way to Hillhaven, gave him a brief explanation and asked him to look after her and tell her that her husband and their children loved her very much. Stephen, although shocked at Jennifer leaving her family, understood why she'd feel the need to do this and assured Jonathan that he'd do whatever he could to help her.

After his conversation with Stephen Jonathan busied himself with the children, knowing Hart Industries would have to take a back seat for a while.

Jennifer meanwhile had decided to fly to DC and stay there overnight to give her time to think and plan what best to do. She knew this had all started with her and Elliot and she was the only person who could finish it. She had briefly thought she wanted Jonathan to take over and for her to just be a Wife and Mother but by loving her so intensely he'd renewed her strength and she now needed to make sure this woman was caught and that she and Manning were both gone from her family's life forever. She knew it was going to involve a lot of painful memories, especially the first almost two years of Aubrey's life when they believed she was dead. The mere thought of that time had tears filling her eyes and Jennifer had to take a deep breath and focus on the road ahead.

Flights were frequent enough and Jennifer arrived mid afternoon and booked in to a hotel. She had her laptop and she also had a notepad and pens, the staples of any good journalist – and she had been a very good journalist, known for her copious research. She was going to have to recapture that part of herself now as she tried to track down Elliot and his Bride and work out what their part in all of this was.

She had checked into a Hotel because she didn't want her father, the former agent for the OSS, breathing down her neck as to why she temporarily abandoned her babies to hunt down some crazy case and also the fact she needed to sleep and her father would be up at the crack of dawn like he was every morning.

She felt awful but she didn't even tell him that she was in Maryland, this was her time to get her job done and Dear oleol Pa wouldn't give her even a chance before demanding she return to California, retrieve his grandchildren and bring them to him at once. She would tell him as soon as her investigation was underway.

Sitting on the bed she lifted her phone and although she knew she had to make the call, she felt nervous at the thought of speaking to Jonathan. Rather than call his cell phone she dialled the main line in to the house, half hoping Max or Pearl might answer. The phone rang 5 times before it was answered. Not by Jonathan, or Max, or Pearl but by Aubrey who hollered "Hello!" taking Jennifer completely by surprise.

It was a few seconds before she could react, a few seconds where Aubrey looked at the handset and turned it upside down thinking she should be able to hear somebody. Jennifer could hear her saying something but it was muffled.

"Aubrey? Baby its Mama..." Jennifer listened for a moment then repeated herself. At the other end of the line Aubrey turned the handset back up the right way and shouted "Hello" again.

"Aubrey?"

"Mama... where you are?"

"Honey, is Daddy there?"

"He with Drew."

"Is Poppa there, or Pearl?"

"No."

"Mama needs to speak with someone Aubrey."

"Speak with me Mama."

"Yes, Mama loves to speak to you honey, but I need to speak with a grown up now please. Where is Poppa?"

"With Lucas."

"What's wrong with your brothers Aubrey?" Jennifer wondered why they had a twin each.

"Yucky diapers!" The two year old laughed.

"Ok, well tell Daddy to call Mama when he can please."

"Bye Mama." Aubrey yelled and put the handset down without disconnecting as she didn't know how.

Jennifer listened a moment and could hear Jonathan in the background asking where she was.

"Talking to Mama."

"Mama isn't here baby." Jonathan told her. Jennifer stayed on the line, wondering if Jonathan would realise she was there.

"The phone Daddy!" Aubrey told him in a tone that implied he was stupid, but he was already beside her picking up the handset.

"Jennifer?"

"I'm here..."

"Thank God. Are you ok darling?" He asked, he was genuinely concerned and she felt the pain in her chest as her heart constricted.

"Yes I'm ok."

"Where are you, are you at your Fathers?"

"I'm in DC..." Jonathan waited, looking down in to the sweet face of their daughter, her head to one side looking back at him. "I'm so sorry..." Jonathan heard her voice waver and he wanted to be angry with her for leaving the way she did, but in truth he might have done the same thing. He knew that he and their children were her whole world and if she had trusted her precious babies to him then she was serious about what she had to do.

"Just be careful and come home safe... soon." There wasn't much more he could say to her so he added "I love you, and our children love you. We all need you Jennifer."

"I know, I love you all too. I need to know we can live our life without fear of Elliot and whoever is helping him. Our children deserve a normal happy and carefree childhood, not one spent behind locked gates and with security guards taking them everywhere."

"You're right... just be careful."

"I will, I promise. Can I speak with Aubrey again please?"

"Yes, I'll put her on. Keep in touch darling."

"I will. Kiss the kids for me."

"Ok... Aubrey, Mama wants to talk to you." Jonathan said handing her the handset, the right way up.

"Mama?"

"Hello sweetie."

"Where you are Mama?"

"I'm going to visit Grandpa for a little while." Jennifer told her. Aubrey nodded making Jonathan smile

"Mama can't see you Aubrey, she can only hear you talking." Aubrey nodded again and Jennifer smiled at what she could imagine was happening two and a half thousand miles away.

"Aubrey, I love you very much, you Lucas, Andrew and Daddy. You please be a good girl and help Daddy with your brothers."

"Ok Mama... Love you!" Aubrey handed the phone back to Jonathan and wandered off."

"She's away, no doubt looking for some mischief to get in to." Jonathan smiled.

"No doubt..."

The conversation was pretty much over but neither of them wanted to disconnect first. After a moment of silence Jonathan heard Aubrey talking so he thought he better investigate.

"Speaking of Aubrey, I better go and see what she's doing."

"Good idea."

"Talk to you soon?"

"Yes you will... I love you."

"And I love you."

Jonathan put the handset back in the base unit and went in the direction that Aubrey had gone.

Jennifer put her cell phone on the bed and lay down, staring up at the ornate ceiling.

She woke up two hours later feeling refreshed and after calling Room Service she got her laptop switched on and set to work researching Manning.

Back in California Jonathan and the kids were joined by Max and Pearl who were happy to help out for as long as they were needed.

Pearl put in a call to have one of her contacts in DC to discreetly make sure Jennifer was ok, and although she knew Jennifer wanted to handle things herself, Pearl got a trace started on Elliot's Bride.

After something to eat Jennifer spent 3 hours on the internet and on the phone to a contact in East Africa to try and piece together Elliot's movements before he came after them back in California before the boys were born. It was all getting a bit jumbled though so she sat and wrote a time line in her notepad. It started when she'd bumped in to him in Mexico and continued through the most painful part of her life, finishing in the present day.

She remembered the last conversation she had with Elliot and how he had mentioned seeing her while she was pregnant but why would he be at a medical center? She made a note to go back and find out exactly what he was doing there.

Looking at the page Jennifer felt a whole cascade of different emotions but she tried to force just one of them to the surface – anger. She felt that one would give her more focus than the others.

That one would get her through the trip to the Hospital where Aubrey was born, the airport where they'd believed she'd been taken to, and the wrecker's yard where Assad's car had ended up... Everywhere there was a chance of a clue to all of this.

Jennifer thought about Aubrey and her reaction to the woman at the cabin. She knew it was the same woman who'd been at their house and that had convinced Jennifer she'd never seen the woman before the day with Kanga. She wasn't so sure now though, they sometimes forgot that Aubrey was still so young because she was their oldest child and she was very bright. Her whole life had changed dramatically when they'd taken her from Kenya and maybe her little mind had chosen to forget the past and to only remember her new life and family. Jennifer couldn't discount the possibility that whoever this woman was, she'd been in her baby's life when she herself wasn't.

Feeling the need to get out and stretch her legs, Jennifer lifted her purse and the room key and leaving her laptop open she walked down to the lobby and picked up a newspaper and a bar of chocolate from the gift shop. She was browsing the magazines when she heard a young child's voice call out and she lifted her head and turned in the direction it had come from. Realising a second later that her children weren't with her she turned back to the magazines, thinking how instinctively she'd reacted and how amazing that was given that a few short years ago she hadn't even been maternal. She wasn't Jennifer Edwards, single, independent, hot-shot journalist now. She was Jennifer Hart, Wife, Mother, and hot-shot journalist.

The hot-short journalist, famous for her copious research, who was going to research, find, and remove from their lives, any connection to Elliot Manning.

By any means necessary.

The next day, she went to the library to look up any articles related to the kidnapping and articles relevant

She went to the front desk and spoke to a short woman, "Hello I'm writing an article for the newspaper and I was interested in pulling some articles,"

The woman looked down on her even though Jennifer stood miles above her, " " What sort of articles?"

"Regardingregarding a missing child case,"

"And you'reyour sure we'd have articles related that?" Thethe woman was so snotty

What Jennifer wanted to do was reach across the desk and pull the woman forward like any lioness protecting her cub but instead she replied "Yes because the child was kidnapped in Maryland"

The woman then walked away from Jennifer, who stood there wondering if she could possibly beat the hell out of a librarian when the woman coldly called back "Are you coming?"

Jennifer was beginning to have flashbacks of the Nuns at Gresham Hall except even Sister Mary Shovel face had a personality

She followed the woman past many stacks and into a backroom, where she was lead to a microfilm machine and was told to sit

"What dates are you looking for?" the woman asked impatiently

"Frombetween March 15th two years ago, onwards."and After that," Jennifer answered just as coldly this woman was begin to wear on her nerves

The woman left and returned a few minutes later with two armfuls of microfilm and after briskly showing Jennifer how to use the machine, she left slamming the door behind her

"Bitch" Jennifer muttered before turning back to the machine

She started with the articles just before the baby was born, to see if there was maybe another kidnapping just before and she noticed that another baby girl infant had been taken from her cribincubator at the same hospital, but that she had been found dead a few days after in a wooded area a few miles away.

Jennifer shivered and continued reading that the baby was born to a single mother whose boyfriendwho's husband had leftabandoned her shortly after she'd become pregnant and that although the mother had admitted to past drug use, she had cleaned up in order to await the arrival of her daughter.

Angela...

Jennifer thought about that name for a second and realized it was the same name that Elliot had given Aubrey, slowly the pieces were beginning to fit together...

The article went on to say that there wasn't much hope of finding another suspect and that although the mother was considered the number one suspect, they couldn't possibly rule out the baby's father who had mysteriously vanished just before

Jennifer couldn't finish the article and instead printed it out, to read in her hotel room later on and continued on until the day after Aubrey was born, this time it was splashed all across the headlines

She didn't remember seeing any articles but then again right after the kidnapping, she was sedated and pretty much dead to the world, the only thing she remembered was seeing Jonathan cry over her bed and him having to constantly remind her that the baby was gone because she was so hazy and kept asking for her baby

"WEALTHY INFANT STOLEN", Screamed the daily times, "A NEW LINDBERG KIDNAPPING" Screamed the Daily Sun

She took a deep breath and read the article from the Sun

"_Last Night, Following her mother's instinct Jennifer Edwards went to check on her newborn, only to discover that the infant had been kidnapped right from the hospital nursery, the baby girl, name not released was around six hours old and had an identification bracelet on her left wrist._

_The infant was the daughter of wealthy philanthropist Jonathan C. Hart, CEO of Hart industries, who issued a statement in the hopes that his daughter would be returned to her mother's arms where she belongs and that the reward for her was substantial._

_According to one source, Mr. Hart was not aware of the child's existence until just before her birth and that may have played a part in her kidnapexistence. Police questioned Mr. Hart but have since ruled him out as a suspect as well as Ms Edward's father and a few other male relatives. Police are now hoping that hospital records will somehow give a light as to the child's disappearance," _

Jennifer never knew that Jonathan was considered a suspect as well as her own father, what else had he kept from her while she was sedated? And how could anyone know that Jonathan never knew about her pregnancy, that was between her, her father and Jonathan, not even the doctors knew because she had told them that Jonathan was doing business on the west coast and that he was commuting from the coast each weekend.

She wondered what else he didn't tell her, especially when it came to their daughter's investigation.

When this was done and she was home, with her babies, sheShe and Jonathan were going to have one long discussion, she couldn't imagine he was doing it on purpose but to shut her out was just too cruel.

She continued reading

"_Many readers will remember the similar thing which happened to Charles and Anne Lindberg, their baby son Charles Jr. Snatched from his crib late one evening and found less than two miles from the Lindberg estate many months later. Are wealthy children now an object for kidnapping? _

_Ms. Edwards was never declared a suspect because she was recovering from the birth and after being told of the kidnapping was heavily sedated and put on a suicide watch. Mr. Hart telling sources he feared that she would never recover from the shock and that he may have to institutionalize her." _

This was getting ridiculous, now she was crazy and was going to be committed? She wasn't sure if she should laugh or scream. The reporter in her urged her to continue on but the mommy in her begged her to stop

She stood up and paced the small room, just thinking about all the things Jonathan should have told her and that she should have researched from the time Aubrey disappeared it was almost like she was looking through a mirror back at herself.

She sat down and printed out that article and continued looking through the micro film to the articles after the crash

"HART BABY DIES AFTER HIGH SPEED CHASE," Screamed one paper "HART-BREAK FOR WEALTHY PARENTS" screamed another, she enlarged one that said "PARENTS WORST NIGHTMARE, KILLED AT HIGH SPEED"

"_Police regret to announce the death of Baby Girl Hart, Daughter of Wealthy Industrialist Jonathan Hart and Well Known Journalist Jennifer Edwards. A after a massive search was conducted when the infant was snatched from a Maryland Hospital nursery, she died after a Police car chase with the man who snatched her._

_Police estimated that the Man, Identified as EgyptianEqyptian born Assad Thaao, was going approximately between 80 and a 100110 miles an hour, he somehow crossed the median and into an oncoming gasoline tanker. Upon impact with the truck, both vehicles exploded and blew out several windows of nearby vehicleswindows, both driversoperators were killed instantly as well as the Hart Infant. Police were attempting to speak to Mr. Thaao when the accident occurred regarding the kidnapping, when the accident occurred. It is believedwhich they had discovered while viewing surveillancesurvillence tapes that he was responsible for taking the child. _

_The cause offor the kidnapping is still under investigation and the police are saying that the child's parents are cooperating fully. _

_After the explosion and crash, andafter being informed of his daughter's death, Mr. Hart issued a statement through his attorney _

"_Although our time with our daughter was all too brief, we are grateful to those who effortlessly searched for her, and although our hopes and hearts are dashed with the loss of our child, we will be nothing but eternally grateful to those so willingwillingly to help" _

_Because of the enormity of the crash and the fact that all three perished, Mr. Hart has also stated that there will be no funeral and that he plans on taking his wife, still recovering from the birth, back to Los Angeles as soon as she is medically cleared._

Jennifer sat back in the chair and wiped her face, wondering why she was wet when she realized she'd been crying.

What if Assad hadn't handed over the baby, what if she'd beenshe was in the car with him? To die like that would be so awful

This was really too much and she wondered if she was in over her head, maybe she should give it up and return home to her babies and amazing husband

And wait for the other shoe to drop

She sat back in the chair for several minutes until she heard a faint beeping noise from her bag, opening it up and reaching for her cell phone, she saw Jonathan left her a video.

"Hello Darling," He was standing in their backyard and the wind was blowing his beautiful brown hair all around, "I know you'reyour busy and probably won't get this until late tonight but the kids insisted we send Mama something to make her come home faster, Aubrey say Hi to Mama"

He turned the camera around to the swing set where his daughter was hanging upside down from the monkey bars, her dress over her head and the powerpuff girl'sgirls underwear riding low on her behind

"Hi Mama! " Aubrey's voice was muffled because her long red hair was covering her face

"Tell Mama what we've been doing!" Jonathan encouraged her

"We go to the zoo, the aquarium, Lucas throwed up though, it was yucky and then Andrew wouldn't stop crying. Then Daddy took us to Toys R Us and we each got a new toy except Lucas broke his already" Aubrey stopped to think

"Then what else" Jonathan asked knowing that he was in trouble for spoiling them already

"We painted pictures!" She smiled "And I painted you a special picture"

"Right on the Living Room Wall, Don't worry Darling, the painters will fix it before you'reyour back...I hope" Jonathan whistled and then turned the camera to a blanket where the boys were lyinglaying on down, well Lucas was lyinglaying down quietly and Andrew was letting out frustrated squawks on his side.

"Show Mama what Daddy taught you," Jonathan said then for some reason the video rolled and for a moment she thought he'd fallen until she realized he was trying to get them to roll over

Suddenly he stopped and the camera focused on Andrew who emulated his Daddy's actions and rolled over

"Yah! Good Job Pal!" Jonathan cheered

"Yes Good Job my beautiful baby" She wished she had been there and couldn't believe she had missed this milestone in her baby's life

"Well Darling, we miss you like crazy and I know you're going to get to the bottom of this, Come home soon my love" He blew a kiss to the camera and the video ended.

Jennifer shook her head and looked back at the newspaper article. She was completely torn in two.

She wanted to be at home with her family more than anything, well almost anything – what she wanted most in the world was to know her family was going to be safe. She and Jonathan could do the rest, give them lots of love and amazing childhoods, but they needed to be rid of the threat that was Elliot and his side-kick... Whoever the hell she was!

Jennifer checked her watch and realised she'd been there for four hours so she printed off all of the related articles and packed away the rolls of microfilm before going to pay for and collect her print outs.

The library assistant was reading one of them when Jennifer approached her and she turned guiltily towards her as Jennifer coughed discreetly.

"Thank you for the microfilms, how much for my print outs?"

"Eh, that'll be five dollars." The woman said, still clutching the article and looking from it to Jennifer who was taking a $5 note from her wallet. "That's you... in the picture."

"Yes it is." Jennifer agreed.

"So it was your baby who was kidnapped?"

"Yes it was." She stated simply.

"I'm so sorry for your loss, it's just awful..." So the cold bitch did have a heart Jennifer thought.

"Thank you, but you've no need to feel sorry for me, my daughter is fine, she's alive and well and back with her family." For a moment Jennifer wondered why in the hell she was telling a complete stranger about her private life, but the woman continued to talk.

"The other baby that was kidnapped just before yours was found dead. My son works for the local Police Department and they were all devastated when her tiny body was discovered. The Mother was chief suspect with the Father high on the list too, but they both skipped town before they could be properly investigated and questioned."

"And the Police never caught either of them?"

"I don't believe so. I'm not sure they even knew much about the Father, he seems to have been a bit of a mystery and the Mother wasn't doing much talking while the baby was missing. After the body was discovered she was taken in for initial questioning then released pending further investigations and while she was on bail she disappeared."

Jennifer needed to get out of there and back to the hotel where she could re-read the articles and hopefully concentrate on trying to piece things together. She had to see whether the kidnappings were linked, nobody had mentioned to her about the other baby who'd gone missing, and she had no idea if it had been a link that they'd investigated.

Thanking the Library Assistant again she gathered up all her things and headed back to her hotel.

Back in her room Jennifer laid all the printed articles out in date order and then got her notepad out and listed each one in the same order and wrote down each headline, some of which were awful and brought back terrible memories.

The list complete, Jennifer was emotionally drained so she went into the bathroom to run herself a bath and while she was waiting for the deep tub to fill up she watched the video from Jonathan again, smiling at their gorgeous tomboy daughter and their beautiful boys, and once again wondered why all of this had happened to them.

A few minutes later she was relaxing in the warm bubbles and debating when to call her Father, she was sure that Jonathan had told him by now that she was in DC and she was surprised he hadn't called her yet. She was relieved he hadn't though because she needed this time on her own to try and work everything out. She would get an early night and spend the whole of the next day going through all the articles and looking for clues, connections however tenuous, collecting information and cross referencing. There was a lot to do so she'd spend as long as necessary on it until she had at least a couple of leads.

Jennifer had a long soak and when she finally got out she wrapped herself in a bathrobe and ordered room service.

While she waited for it to arrive she sat on her bed and called home and on the fourth ring Max answered.

"Hart Residence."

"Hello Max, how's things there?"

"Mrs H, great to hear from you! We're all good thanks, the kids are doing fine."

"What about Jonathan?"

"Mr H is fine too, he's spending a lot of time with Aubrey and the twins and doing a great job."

"I'm glad they're all ok, thanks for being there for them all Max, you and Pearl."

"It's our pleasure."

"Is Jonathan there?"

"He's bathing Aubrey." Max told her and Jennifer checked her watch, it was 8pm where she was, 5pm back home.

"At this time?"

"She decided that she loved finger painting so much that she left her prints everywhere, but mostly on her own body. I think he's had to wash her hair a couple of times too. "

Jennifer had a mental image of Aubrey covered in paint and smiled at how ingenious she was.

"Ok Max, tell Jonathan to give me a call when he gets the chance and say Hi to Pearl for me."

"Sure thing Mrs H. I hope you find what you're looking for and can come home soon."

"Thanks Max, so do I."

They disconnected and a few minutes later there was a knock at the door.

Jennifer got off the bed and walked across to let the Room Service guy in with her dinner.

Opening the door she looked out in to the hallway... and straight in to the face of her Father.

"Pa? What are you doing here?" She wasn't entirely surprised to see him, but she was disappointed he hadn't let her do this on her own.

"I'm here to help you track down that bastard Manning and whoever is working with him, and then do what I should have done all those years ago when he first hurt you." Stephen reached to hug his daughter before whispering in her ear "This time Jennifer, I'm going to kill him!"

"Dad, there was a specific reason why I didn't call you, I don't want you to get hurt, It's bad enough i put my children in danger, if you got hurt I couldn't live with myself"

"Jennifer Sophia, what is it I've always told you when you are in over your head,"

"That Daddy can always fix it no matter what," She rolled her eyes and allowed him into her hotel room, she wasn't shocked to see three big suitcases being wheeled in after him

Apparently Pa was in it for the long Haul

"What have you found so far that's taken you nearly 3,000 miles away from home and that's forcing you to abandon your children"

"I didn't abandon them so much as entrust them to their father, who is more than capable of taking care of them temporarily until I finish this completely," Jennifer plopped down on the bed

"Alright Love, show me what you've got," Stephen put his on his glasses and sat down at the table where her computer was

She pulled out her files but not before commenting, "Haven't I seen this show before and wasn't it cancelled after six episodes, Feather and Father,"

"Are you giving me sass, girlie," He looked at her smiling

"Always"


	6. Nothing but Anger

Stephen and Jennifer poured over the information that she'd printed out, trying to find some connection but it was difficult seeing as how the key players, Assad and Elliot were no longer in the picture, time was growing shorter and they needed some quick answers

"Alright let's go through this one more time, from the time you went into the hospital until she was taken" Stephen stopped to rub his eyes

"Dad, it's all a blur and it was so painful I can't really remember, all I know is that there were five nurses and a doctor in the delivery room plus Jonathan,"

"Well, I don't know where to begin because if you can't remember and this woman is missing, we're back to square one, what's the common factor here? Two baby girls were snatched a month apart except one was born to a drug abuser and an absent father, and this baby ended up dead …I'm missing something here."

Jennifer sat back on the bed trying to remember every detail but one thing kept sticking out in her mind was that Elliot knew that Jonathan didn't know she was pregnant until she nearly delivered

But How?

"I Think we need to go to the police and see what we can pull and learn from them.." Jennifer wasn't sure if this was the right step but it was a beginning

"And Sweetheart, what happens if they aren't cooperative?" Stephen had contacts all over the world but this might have been a little out of scope, a dead infant and a missing mother weren't something he'd ever dealt with, Bank robbers and axe murderers were his bread and butter

"Then we figure some other way but I need to finish this and get back to my babies before anyone else is hurt," Jennifer was determined and Stephen knew not to mess with his daughter.

They went to the police station, full of hope but not expecting much, the cops didn't care to share to much information with a civilian, if necessary she'd toss Jonathan's name out there, that usually had some sort of pull

"Hello my name is Jennifer Hart, I was wondering if I could speak to someone regarding a past case," She approached the main desk where a short man was reading a newspaper

"You want records bureau , that's 5th floor but don't expect too much," he barely looked at her

"Why?"

"Because those guys are so backlogged, you won't get past the front door," he continued reading

"Then Can I speak to an officer please," Jennifer's voice was strained what little patience she had left was long gone

Just as the officer started to open his mouth to tell her to sit down, a familiar face came through the doors with an arm full of folders

"Detective Benson?", Jennifer remembered her face, she looked so much like that woman from Law an Order that her name had always stuck with Jennifer

"It's Detective Stabler now, can I help you?" Olivia peered through the folders, it was obvious that she was pregnant; a lot had taken place over the past two years.

"My name is Jennifer Hart, you were on my daughter's case about two years ago" Jennifer said trying to find the woman's face through the folders

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry, yes please come back with me to my office, we can talk there," Olivia handed the folders to a passing officer "Here give these to Fin and tell him to cancel my meetings for the rest of the day,"

"Yes Ma'm," the officer nodded left

Jennifer followed Detective Benson with her father back to the officer, quickly introducing Stephen, time was of the essence

"What can I help you with," The detective settled into her chair

"My husband and I are interested in having our daughter's case reopened; we believe there are new leads that are in need of rechecking ," Jennifer had decided with Stephen earlier that they would pretend as if Aubrey was still dead

"What sort of leads?"

"My husband has been receiving notes that someone has information that implicates him in our daughter's kidnapping as well as hints that someone aside from the man who took our daughter was involved, We were wondering if it was possibility that there could be some oversight," Jennifer said nervously

The detective had begun typing as soon as Jennifer started speaking, and whatever she had looked up made her go pale …

"What did you come across?" Jennifer leaned forward

"When is your birthday?"

"November 2nd"

"Look at this," Detective Stabler swiveled the computer around and pointed to the screen, "According to our information, you are the mother of both babies"

"What?" Stephen leaned forward

"Excuse me, that's not possible!" Jennifer was so confused

"I realize that Mrs. Hart but apparently the mother of the infant has the same name and birthday as you, her name was given as Jennifer E. Edwards and I guess we just never made the connection and the birthdates are different, there has been no movement on her social security card or movement at her address, in fact it appears that this woman has never existed except for when the child disappeared,"

"So some random stranger using a false name which should have given you a clue that it wasn't my daughter because the name didn't match but somehow gave birth to a child, the baby is kidnapped and the mother is never heard from again.. Doesn't that strike you as a bit odd?" Stephen asked

", we realize the oversight and we will rectify this," Detective Stabler leaned back in her chair.

"While you rectify this, I'm going to conduct my own investigation and hope that I will receive full cooperation on my daughter's case," Jennifer was pissed. Her baby had she not been found alive, would have just been another oversight in the criminal system

"Of course, In fact I'll give you a copy of the file and anything you need, please call anytime," Olivia quickly clicked a few keys and soon the printer spouted out nearly 50 pages of documents including crime scene photos

"Detective, when my daughter was taken, why was my husband and father questioned?" Jennifer had to ask

"It's standard procedure and because you two are such a high profile couple, we needed to rule out all suspects,"

"Did you ever look at an Elliot Manning as a suspect?" Jennifer asked gripping the folder

"Who? That name never came up in our list," The detective clicked through her computer again, "No, I'm sorry, but we do have an outstanding warrant for some E.R. Mannion for parking tickets ,"

"I think you need to investigate him more, his politics alone should raise quite a few red flags," Jennifer said n

"Alright Sweetheart, Where to next?" he asked squinting in the bright Maryland sun

"Back to the Hotel, we're going to go over every inch of this report and find out what the police missed," Jennifer said nervously

Meanwhile back at Willow Pond

Jonathan had his hands full just trying to keep up with both boys and Aubrey, every day was a new day in patience and determination not to beg Jennifer to come home, every day he set up a plan and by breakfast it was shot to hell usually by either all three kids or one.

Andrew had entered a fussy phase soon after Jennifer had left and wasn't willing to be soothed by anyone and would spend hours crying despite the three adults in his life's best efforts to distract him, play with and generally take care of him, he cried so hard one night Jonathan was sure he was sick and took him to the emergency room only to be told that the only thing that could help his son was to bring back his mommy.

And Aubrey was adding more and more gray hairs to her Daddy's head, every day came a new idea that usually ended with her in time-out screeching until her face matched her hair and she was gasping for air

He tried to distract, some days he took them to the beach but by the time, he, Max and Pearl had lugged all the equipment beach chairs, blankets, umbrellas etc plus the kids, everyone was exhausted and the trip was quickly cut short

And the trip to the museum, Jonathan would rather forget, suffice it to say, they were asked to leave and not return until his children learned what "In door voices" meant

Lucas seem to be the only one not giving him trouble, as long as he was fed and dry, he was a happy camper and only when his brother was at the height of his agitation he would pout but just enough until his daddy would make a goofy face then he was all smiles.

Because Jennifer had just up and left them basically in the lurch, even with three adults in the house it was still chaos and overwhelming

Meal times that once involved topics of the worlds, politics, religion, even local gossip were now replaced by the constant need to repeat oneself

"Aubrey, please sit down," Jonathan repeated for the 12th time since they had sat down, only twenty minutes earlier

"Daddy, I not hungry!" She pushed her plate aside

"I don't care, you are going to eat 10 bites …" He was exhausted and she had been playing this game where she said she wasn't hungry only to announce she was starving right before it was bedtime

"Daddy, I want to play barbies," She started to slide down off the chair

"Aubrey, you are going to eat now" He switched hands, he was feeding Andrew, who had curtailed his screaming long enough to drink his bottle and Jonathan knew the moment the bottle was empty, screaming would commence

"No Daddy," She folded her arms, "I no like this!"

"Aubrey, Daddy is exhausted, it's been a long day, help me out and eat your dinner before we go upstairs and have a bath and read," Jonathan hoped that since none of them had slept for the past few days, that exhaustion would set in and they'd sleep

But it looked like the nightly battle would commence

And Daddy was no mood, between missing his wife and sexual frustration not to mention frustration had not being able to handle his own kids, he was reaching his end

"Jonathan, Why don't you go up to bed and we'll take care of the kids," Pearl offered, ever since Jennifer had gone away, they had moved from the guest house to the Main House into Max's old room.

"Yeah Mr. H, We got this," Max said taking the bottle out of Jonathan's hand

"No, that's alright, Aubrey sit down and eat!" Jonathan ordered

Aubrey loved testing her limits and tonight was no exception; she looked down at her plate, teetered it and then flipped over the spaghetti plate, splattering her mother's hand painted white walls with now red tomato sauce

"THAT'S IT!" Jonathan yelled, "I'm sorry little girl but you are going over my knee,"

She knew that she was in trouble but she figured that he would send her to her room, she'd scream for five minutes then get a brownie, like every night but this time, she knew instantly that she had gone too far

"I sorry Daddy!" She turned on the crocodile tears but her Daddy unmoved and went to pick her up, unfortunately for him, she slipped out of the chair and Unto Poppa Max's Lap

"Aubrey Rose, come out here now!" Jonathan ordered, He and Jennifer had made an agreement long ago that before either of them would spank their child, they would discuss it and look for an alternative but he had to deal with this on his own

"Jonathan, maybe you should think about this," Pearl spoke quietly, holding Lucas in her arms and feeding him

"No, she'll never learn if we just keep letting her do what she wants," Jonathan reached for his daughter, who now had real tears streaming down her face and was clutching Max like he was the only one that could save her

"But Daddy, if you love me how could you hit me?" She looked up at him with her teary blue eyes and he felt his heart melt, she was his baby and no matter how frustrated he became with her, she would remain his baby

"Come here, little girl, I'm not going to hurt you but you need to learn to do what Mama and Daddy tell without a fight," He gathered her in his arms and sat down

"Yes Daddy, I love you," She kissed his nose

He knew that in her mind, she would continue to do what she wanted until she had the maturity and sense to stop or until her mother came home to change her ways but until then he'd have to maintain his patience, she was still just a baby.

Jennifer pored over the files long after Stephen had gone to bed, she organized the crime scene photos according how she thought the accident happened, the car literally had been incinerated and the photos showed the outer shell of the car and a few taken of the front seat

She had been staring at the same picture for about 10 minutes when she noticed something in the corner she hadn't noticed before, she thought maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her but she found the magnifying glass her father had tossed aside and realized what she was looking at was some sort of bag or purse

She looked at the other crime scene pictures but whatever it wasn't as noticeable in the other pictures, she knew instantly that this was the clue she needed to help her move her mystery along

"Dad, Pa!" She shook her father, she knew he needed his sleep but this was too important, "Dad, we have to go on an important errand"

Less than a half hour later, after explaining her find and convincing Stephen she wasn't totally insane and that she would never drag him on another adventure after this, they stood in front of a building

More like a junkyard

"Sweetheart, It's the middle of the night what are we doing?" Stephen asked nervously

"Figuring out the next stage of our plan, but we won't do this if you don't want to I mean someone is after your granddaughter and well, I guess we could go back to the hotel," She knew how to play him and he knew that as well but he couldn't help but smile

"Alright, but if we get arrested …I'm calling Jonathan and going back to Havenhill leaving you in the slammer,"

"Fair enough," She nodded briskly and looked for a way into the junk yard, "Boost me up"

"What?" Stephen asked

"I think I can climb over and swing myself over to open the gate, but I need some help," Jennifer looked around for another option but this was all she had and time was of the essence

"You know I have a weak heart right?" Stephen reminded her as he bent down

"Yeah, well you didn't recent have a C-section, just boost me up," She knew that she would have one chance at this

"One two three," He gave her a surprising boost and she managed to grab onto the top of the wall and swung her leg over

"Who said a mother of three can't play Wonder woman," She was amazed at herself, she was in better shape than she thought

"Alright open the gate and let's commence getting arrested," Stephen had never been so nervous in his life

Jennifer rolled her eyes before jumping off the wall and walking over to the gate where she had noticed it was padlocked, but having been schooled in picking locks by Jonathan Hart, she used her nail file and easily opened it, letting her father in

"What am I looking for exactly," Stephen asked

"A burnt out car, something along the lines of a ford," Jennifer had memorized the outside of the car but couldn't remember the make or model

"Shouldn't be too hard, I think this is where cars go to die," Stephen remarked

Jennifer didn't answer him, she was on a hunt and nothing could distract her.

Except every burnt out car in the lot looked the same and she couldn't help but feel like she was on a wild goose hunt

After nearly three hours of searching, bodies aching and Jennifer so disappointed to come away with nothing, Stephen decided that since the sun would be rising soon, it was best if they quit for the day and come back later when it wasn't a felony

He had started to led her out of the junkyard when she tore away from him and ran to the furthest corner of the lot

"Pa, I've found it!" She called excitedly like she'd found a new puppy

"Are you sure," Stephen was so exhausted, he'd hadn't been up all night since that bender back in Prague at least 30 years ago

"Yes!" She circled the car debating on whether or not it was safe to get in

"Jennifer, please be careful" Stephen was nervous that she could seriously hurt herself the car looked unstable and could fall apart on top of her at the slightest touch

"Pa, I got this," She put her hands on top of the car, shook it just to see if it would give a hint as to how sturdy it was and when the whole thing didn't crumble, She maneuvered her body through the backseat window

"Darling, please don't this," He pleaded with her

"I'm fine, " She took a deep breath not realizing that for the moment two years ago her infant was thrown into the car like a cheap jacket and sped off onto two years of uncertainty

She sat back and looked at the seat in front of her, she imagined what it was like for her daughter, so tiny and helpless

As Mommy, she had failed to protect her baby and this was the fallback, it was a thought that often crossed her mind late at night after putting her babies to bed, l listening to Jonathan breathe deeply and peacefully

She hit the front seat in frustration and noticed wedged in between the seat was the bag she had noticed in the picture before, for some reason although the car had gone up in flames, the bag seemed almost intact

It was a purse, and although the zipper was melted shut, she managed to pry it open and started digging, old makeup, a few address scribbled on a napkin, a few other items that weren't relevant and finally in one of the side pockets, she pulled out a wallet, it had nearly 200 dollars in cash, some various business cards and a driver's license

But it wasn't Assad's license, there was another person in the car that March day

Jennifer took a deep breath, closed her eyes briefly and pulled the license out

"Oh my god!" She screeched

"Jennifer, what's the matter?" Stephen had never heard such a high pitched squeal from his deep throated daughter, not even when she was in labor

Furiously, She climbed out of the car and shoved the license at him

"It's your fault! You brought her into our lives because you felt some sort of sick need to relive your younger days, She helped kidnap my baby! ," She began pounding on her father's chest

"What are you talking about?" Stephen was confused

"She worked with Assad and Elliot to kidnap my baby, that's how he knew I was pregnant ..from YOUR girlfriend," She hit him one more time and walked away leaving him to look down at the license she had shoved into his hands

The name was Margaret McMormack

A name he hadn't heard or thought of in nearly three years.

BACK at Willow Pond

Jonathan had put Aubrey to bed after the whole dinner debacle, She had fallen asleep after he told her how he met her Mama and how that loving her was the best decision he'd ever made because if he hadn't, neither Aubrey, Lucas or Andrew would exist and that although they made him nuts, he was so happy being their Daddy.

She fell asleep with a smile on her face but not before asking when her Mama was coming home

Jonathan had no answer but simply pulled her covers up and kissed her nose

Jonathan walked back to the kitchen to find Andrew wailing in his bouncy chair and Lucas sleeping contently in Pearl's arms

"I've made a decision," Jonathan called over Andrew

"What?" Max asked cleaning up the spaghetti sauce off the wall

"I said I made a decision," Jonathan repeated himself

"I heard you, I was asking what the decision was," Max rolled his eyes

"Enough's Enough, We're going to Maryland tomorrow, and finish this mystery together," Jonathan picked up Andrew and kissed his tiny wailing head


	7. Flashbacks, worries and revelations

After Jennifer had walked away from Stephen in the junkyard, He didn't know where to look for her and since he knew that she had to cool off before she would speak to him and even if she did come back, she wouldn't be ready to speak to her father just yet.

She didn't return to the hotel room for hours, and Stephen was beginning worry about her whereabouts, he'd hoped she'd come back and they could talk about what happened in the junkyard but even her cell phone was turned off.

He debated on whether or not to call the police, just to see if they could put out some feelers about where his daughter could be when the hotel door swung open and Aubrey came running in

"Mama, where is you?" She called, expecting to see her Mama instead, finding her Grandpa sitting in a chair by the window

"Aubrey Rose, is that you?" Stephen was surprised; she was the last person he'd expected to see

"Where Mama?" She didn't acknowledge his question, she was hell bent on finding her Mama

"Where's your father," Stephen asked

"Right here, just not as a fast," Jonathan came into the room holding Lucas while Pearl was behind him with Andrew and Max, who was digging through the diaper bag looking for a pacifier to quiet a screaming Andrew

"Jonathan, what are you doing here?" Stephen asked still not moving from the chair

"I've come to reclaim my woman, where is she?" Jonathan noticing she didn't come out when their daughter plowed through the door

"We had a minor disagreement and She went out," Stephen was being vague and Jonathan knew immediately that she didn't just go out.

"Aubrey, Baby let's get settled for nap and some cartoons," Jonathan suggested while Max and Pearl took the boys to the bedroom

"But Daddy, I not tired," She said yawning

"Humor your old Man," It had been a long plane ride and she hadn't slept all day, she was ready to sleep now but as usual was fighting it.

"Charlie, I'll sit with her and you go speak with Stephen," Pearl said after putting both boys and Max down for a nap

Jonathan nodded and followed Stephen into the kitchen where he explained what happened, Jonathan paled slightly at Jennifer's discovery and understood why she was so upset but it wasn't Stephen's fault he'd gotten involved with such a manipulative bitch

Jonathan knew where she was, even before Stephen spilled out the story, it was a place they had both avoided ever since that cruel day in March but he knew that she was so desperate to lose some of her guilt that she would go to one place she'd find some solace

He just hoped that she wouldn't do something to harm herself; she was vulnerable and somewhat devoid of rational thought. He just hoped that he got to her before she completely lost her mind.

Jonathan drove through the gates in his rented car, his mind flashing back to that day in March, he remembered that morning somberly getting dressed in his brooks brothers suit and grey tie, making sure every detail was perfect and that his daughter would have a proper service

Although he had made the statement that there would be no service, he secretly called some personal friends and a few family members to tell them what happened and of course Max immediately flew to them, Pearl was in the Orient on a mission for her charity but promised as soon as she was done with her business, she'd come to them.

_He and Jennifer had barely spoken since they had been about the accident, they were both so numb and grief stricken, there was nothing that could be said, After the police had told them about the explosion and that there were no human remains to be found or buried, Jonathan had decided that they would have a service, something to honor their daughter's brief memory, Jennifer had been adamant that having a service without remains was ridiculous but agreed to their baby needed some sort of guidance into the afterlife._

_He combed his hair, observing that tomorrow they would be on a plane home to California, He'd decided for both of them that they would have the service in Maryland because at home, they'd never be able to move on knowing their baby was buried less than five miles from what was considered their sanctuary from the rest of the world._

_He finished getting ready and went to find his wife, he'd left her sitting at the makeup table putting on cover up to hide the red eyes she had from crying, wearing only her slip an hour earlier and when he walked back into the bathroom, he found her absently brushing her hair, still only wearing her slip _

"_Darling," He called to her," You need to get ready, it's almost time," He noticed how hard she was shaking _

"_I can't do this," She whispered," Please don't make me,"_

_He knew that she was struggling and that making her go went against everything he believed in, but she had to. If only for their daughter_

"_We have to, it's important," Jonathan said going to the closet and picking out a black dress, he knew that she still felt awkward about her body since she was still chubby from being pregnant but that this dress would cover that, it was short sleeved but it was long enough that it was appropriate for a funeral_

"_I'm not going and I'm not wearing that," She stood up and took the dress out of his hand_

"_Please Darling; let's not argue on today of all days," _

"_Who is arguing? I'm not going," She was adamant, this wasn't something she ever wanted to do and she couldn't survive knowing that her child was dead; this was making it too real._

"_Darling, we have to go," Jonathan watched her pace the room, she was becoming agitated_

"_No, What we have to do is go back to California and act like this never happened, that I never got pregnant and that this whole thing was just some bad dream.." She was rambling and he knew that her mind was racing a thousand miles a minute from exhaustion_

"_Darling," He said quietly _

"_No!" She slammed her hands against the vanity table_

"_Jennifer," He spoke louder over her but she continued rambling on_

"_Why do you even care?"_

"_Excuse me?" _

"_You weren't there for my pregnancy so why should you be there for her funeral?" She wasn't making sense but he wanted to see where she was going with this _

"_Hold on a second," He started to speak but she steamed rolled him_

"_I'm surprised you even showed up when my father called guilty conscious?" She couldn't believe her own words but she was angry and he was the closest thing she could take her aggression out on_

"_No I came back because I realized how big of an asshole I was that night in Mexico and that I wanted you to see how much I've changed and how much I was looking forward to our family"_

"_Then let's go forward and not look back on this nightmare, take my hand and we'll go back to Willow Pond right this moment," She held her hand out _

"_We can't do that, Darling please stop we can't pretend Aubrey didn't exist," Jonathan was nervous that she was going over the edge _

"_Don't say her name! She didn't exist therefore she doesn't have a name" Jennifer was becoming manic _

"_That's it!" He grabbed her by her shoulders, "She did exist, She had red hair and blue eyes and she was beautiful and she was our miracle baby, how could you say she didn't exist?" _

_And with that, she crumbled and began to cry "I know she did and I can't live in world without her, Why did they take her from us, We're not supposed to bury our child, we're supposed to fight over whose turn it is to change her and worry when she fusses, it's not fair!"_

"_No it's not, and it will never be fair, we lost our baby but we still have to have a service and celebrate her life as her parents," Jonathan started to cry as well, "We will grieve for Aubrey the rest of our lives, We know that, we just need to take things moment to moment," _

"_But how..?" Jennifer sobbed _

"_I don't know but we can't let this tear us apart, it can't, we can't lose each other." Jonathan was firm on that, "I know that, you know that and no matter what happens, it's always going to be us against the world"_

_She nodded, wiped her nose with the back of her hand and "I agree, If I lost you that would be the complete ending of me and your right, we need to go for Aubrey, I'll get dressed," She went to the closet and picked out a black skirt and long sleeve shirt_

_The church was covered in white and pink roses, ironically the same colors Jennifer had wanted to paint the nursery, there was no casket of course or pictures, it was just a minister speaking, he'd been briefed on what happened and Max was adamant that the service be more spiritual than anything._

_The service was barely tolerable, the minister spoke of how children are a gift and how they need to be treasured and that Aubrey's death was a tremendous loss to not only her parents but to those who hadn't yet seen what amazing things she was going to do with the world.. her possibilities were unlimited. No mentioning of the kidnapping except for a casual comment about how someone so desperate for a baby must have understood how special Aubrey was._

_The minister then lit three candles, one for birth, death and rebirth and said a prayer guiding Aubrey into the next life, wishing her well and that someday soon she'll be reunited with those who mattered most to her._

_Stephen, Max and They sat together in the front row, gripping each other's hands, Jennifer's face covered with glasses because there wasn't enough cover up to hide her red eyes, Jonathan struggled to remain somber but even he couldn't hide the tears._

_And when it came time to greet those few who came to pay their condolences, Jennifer ignored them while Jonathan greeted them; she was just too much in shock to even speak. Later the doctor would come to their hotel room, sedated her and put her to bed for the next few days while Jonathan kept a vigil over her._

_The grave unveiling would be later that year, except that it would just be the two of them. _

_In her heart, she knew that as a grieving mother she needed to be around things that reminded her of the baby but it was too hard, the only baby things that she had gotten back from the hospital was the baby blanket that was left behind, that smelled like a combination of newborn and ivory soap and so for the first few nights after the service, she would sleep with the blanket and Jonathan respected that, later on when they went home to Willow Pond, She had the blanket framed and placed over the bed _

He shook his head out of his daze, he realized he'd been sitting at the cemetery gates with the engine idling for close to 20 minutes, he knew that all that grieving and pain was something he'd always remember even though his little girl was alive and well. It's not something you could easily forget.

He turned the car off and walked across the various stones, knowing exactly the one he was looking for and found his wife leaning against the stone, just staring up at the stars

She knew it was him before he spoke, " I knew you'd come …"

"Well, I figured why should you have all the fun?," He sat down beside her , "And I knew you'd be here.."

"I just felt like I had to come here, if only just to let go, it sounds stupid knowing she's alive"

"It's not stupid; this was someplace we knew we'd have to come back to here eventually"

"Dad told you what happened,"

"Yeah, you can't blame him he didn't know and he would never knowingly put Aubrey or you in danger, you can't be angry about that"

"I wasn't angry with him," She whispered, "I was angry for not realizing the connection,"

"How could you have realized that his old girlfriend was involved," He put his arm around her shoulder

"Because that woman just up and disappeared, no phone calls, messages, we came home one night from the theater and she was gone, we naturally assumed she had taken up with some other rich old guy and now suddenly she's connected to our daughter's disappearance, it just doesn't make sense," she leaned against his shoulder

"So what's your next plan of action, obviously she died when the car blew up, "

"I was thinking about going to the address on the driver's license but I'm nervous,"

"About what?"

"What I'll come across, I'll find out something devastating and then we'll never be able to move on."

"Or we'll finally solve this and finally enjoy our kids,"

She shrugged uncertainly; she missed them so much, although it had only been a few days she never wanted to leave them like this again.

"Darling," He said shaking her out of her thoughts

"Yes,"

"Before we decide to anything about this mystery, we need to figure how to handle what we've got on our plate and you've got to stop blaming yourself,"

"I can't, Jonathan, it's my fault that Elliot did this and it won't stop until we get to the bottom of it,"

"But do you realize that while you're off chasing some possible unsolvable mystery, it's time away from our babies, who need you and time we'll never get back,"

"Yes! But I'm doing this so they'll grow up in a life that's amazing and not full of fear,"

"They'll just grow up wonder why their mother was bouncing in and out of their lives,"

"Are you calling me a bad mother?" She pulled her head back in anger

"No! Of course not but I just think your so focused on this and trying to get rid of your guilt, that maybe you aren't thinking clearly,"

"I've never been so clear before and don't you see, I'm doing this for them so that they'll grow up knowing a life outside of the four walls of Willow Pond, I want to be able to stand at our bedroom windows and watch our boys play basketball without worrying that someone will snatch them or that our daughters will get taken by some mommy crazed pyscho."

"Daughters? Your not pregnant again are you?" He asked in mock horror

"No! please, I've barely sleep in four months, another baby would cause Mama officially lose her mind but you understand what I'm saying?" She leaned back against his shoulder

"Yeah and I want that too, so let's get to the bottom of this and get on with the business of raising our kids, your daughter especially, she's beginning to take hellion to a whole new level."

"Oh sure, when she's a hellion she's my daughter but she flashes those blues and that dimpled smile, she's your angel," Jennifer laughed

"Of course!" Jonathan stood up and held his hand out, "Tomorrow, we'll go to the address on the license you've found and find out what we can, together.."

"It's a deal.." She took his hand and kissed his lips, have forgotten what they tasted like even though it had only been a few days , the electricity between them was evident and she felt herself melt into his arms and suddenly whatever had happened between them before, the arguments, the tears the worrying just dissipated and Suddenly she found herself pulling off his jacket and scrambling to get his khakis unbuckled

"Are you sure we should do this," He whispered huskily

"You prefer going back to the hotel where our children, Max Pearl and Dad are waiting for us," She said kissing his chest…

He didn't respond except to help undress her, His mind was racing with the fact that they were about to make love on their daughter's grave but passion took over and he found himself unable to control himself

For hours they made love under the moonlight, with a passion they hadn't had since before their children were born, every kiss, caress thrust had an intensity they had missed so very much.

Falling asleep, they were wrapped in each other's arms, feeling safer than they had in a long time

Eventually the night gave away to morning and they were still wrapped in each other's arm underneath Jonathan's jacket when a voice suddenly woke them up

"Excuse me," a frosty voice called, "Excuse me"

"Huh…" Jennifer woke up freezing, wondering who this stranger was in their bedroom when she opened one eye to find a bee hived old woman staring down at her , "Oh my god, Jonathan!"

"Mmmm , you want more baby," He rolled over without opening his eyes and kissing her neck

"Jonathan, wake up, we're not alone!" She said frantically looking for her shirt, she remembered Jonathan tossing her bra ontop of the head stone but she couldn't find her shirt

"You're on top of my husband!" the old woman was furious, "This isn't a motel you know!"

"Yes we know," Jennifer was frantically dressing while Jonathan, who was awake fully, now was searching for his boxers

Great sex can lead to massive confusion in the morning

"You'd figure someone of your advanced age would know better," The woman started clearing weeds from her husband's stone

"Yeah well at least we have a sex life," Jonathan muttered finding his boxers flung two stones over

"Darling let's go," Jennifer pulled him toward the car, buttoning up her shirt as she walked toward the car

"Just a second Darling," He let go of her hand and went back to the gravestone, where in black and white letters , where a few simple words were etched

Aubrey Rose Hart.. Beloved Daughter, we live to love you more each day

He kissed the stone, did a prayer thanking God for bringing his little girl back home where she belonged and walked back to the car where Jennifer was waiting for him

"Remind me first thing when we get home to remove her name from the stone," Jonathan said starting the car

"I think we should leave it, It's a reminder of what we've lost and gained" Jennifer said watching the other gravestones pass by

He squeezed her hand in agreement

Back at the Hotel, Stephen was reading the paper while Aubrey was sitting at the table eating her pancakes, her little face covered in syrup, and a serious case of bedhead, the boys having been feed and were currently being changed in the next room when the door opened

"Miss Aubrey, I think you've got a visitor" Jonathan said coming through the door

"Daddy, you're not a visitor" She crinkled her nose…Daddy was so silly sometimes

"Then what am I?" Jennifer peeked over Jonathan's shoulder

"MAMA!" Aubrey dropped her fork and scrambled to get down from the table and jumping into her Mama's arms

"Hello my little lady love, I missed you so much!" Jennifer never wanted to be separated from her daughter again

"Where you been Mama!" Aubrey demanded after Jennifer kissed her little face, not caring that she was covered in syrup

"I had to do something important," Jennifer couldn't think of a better answer

"More important than us," Aubrey knew exactly where to jam the knife into her mother's heart

"Never! Baby I'm sorry I missed you and the boys so much, I love you so much and I promise I'll never leave you guys again " Jennifer felt her tears beginning to fall, "Baby go finish your breakfast…I'm going to check on your brothers "

Aubrey narrowed her eyes as if she thought her mother was full of BS but she walked back to the table

"Jennifer, Sweetheart, can we talk" Stephen was nervous she was still furious with him

"We'll talk about it later, right now I need to look in on boys, "She wasn't angry with him so much as annoyed

"Of course," Stephen nodded

She walked into the bedroom where Lucas was asleep, his tiny fists clenched and his head to the side, milk dried on his face, he looked like a frat boy who'd had too much to drink and passed out

"If this is what college is going to look like for you, I'm homeschooling you," She laughed as she kissed his head "I missed you so much kiddo"

And then a third tiny voice wailed, she smiled knowing that it was Andrew, he was already a Mama's boy at four months

She went to the bathroom to see Pearl finishing changing him

"Hi Chipmunk!" She smiled as he locked eyes with her, unsure if it really his Mama

"Hey Jenny!" Pearl said fastening his onesie

"Pearlie, How are you? Thank you so much for taking such good care of all four of my kids," Jennifer said kneeling down beside her

"Believe me, Charlie's the biggest one out of all of them" She laughed and hugged Jennifer

"I heard that!" Jonathan called from the table where he was eating a piece of Aubrey's pancake, the hotel room was big enough that it had three rooms but small enough that voices carried

Andrew started to wail again because no one was paying attention to him

"Hi Chipmunk did you miss me? I missed you" She picked him from where Pearl was changing him, the room had no changing table so they had to improvise on the carpet in the bathroom, He instantly stopped wailing and started smiling, she could already see the dimple in his cheek like his Daddy

"Oh you don't know much he missed his Mama, in fact we've all got the punctured ear-drums to prove it "Pearl laughed

Jennifer laughed too, knowing that if he wailed continually for her, his lungs weren't nearly as bad as the doctors thought

Andrew had changed so much since she'd been gone, he looked chubbier and she noticed that he was getting a couple of freckles on his nose

"Did you miss Mama? Because Mama sure missed you!" She kissed his little face, "I love you!" He tried to bite her nose as if to say he missed her too.

"I'm going to go check on Max, he's had a rough morning" Pearl said getting up

"What's the matter with Max," Jennifer said hugging Andrew

"Delayed Air sickness, he's been up all night," Pearl shook her head and started to leave before she turned around, "I'm glad we came here, the family felt incomplete without you"

Jennifer could only nod to avoid tears

She walked back to the bedroom to change her clothes and lay Andrew next to Lucas, who'd woken up and was smiling at the mobile above his head

"Hi Lucas!" She stood over, he was startled to hear her voice and started to cry, "I'm sorry Buggy It's only Mama!" She picked him up but he wasn't having it, he squirmed and cried hard "Please don't cry"

"Darling,?" Jonathan stuck his head into the bedroom," What's wrong?"

"He doesn't like me, my own baby hates me!" She started to cry which only served to agitate Lucas even more

"He doesn't hate you, I've figured out the trick to Lucas," He walked over and took the baby from her, "Lay down,"

"What?" She said

"Just listen to me, Lay down," He waited for her to fight with him but she instead slid all the way back, "take a deep breath and relax,"

"This is crazy," She rolled her eyes

"No He senses your tense and afraid so he's doing the same thing," He walked over to the side of the bed," Now relax just completely relax"

She inhaled and forced herself to give into his words, as soon as he was sure she was relaxed, he placed the baby in her lap, Lucas had calmed down when he heard Jonathan's voice and as soon as he was given to his mother, he started to cry but after a few minutes of rocking in his mama's arms, he calmed down

"Oh I see, you prefer your Mama to lay back and relax, I see what your game is little boy," Jennifer whispered into his ear and soon he was fast asleep

She was just starting to fall asleep when she heard little two year old feet come into the room

"Mama.. why you sleeping? It's morning, time to play!" She began to climb onto the bed and Jump around

"Whoa, careful you don't step on the babies!" Jonathan tried to pick her up but she bounced toward her mama

"Come on Mama!" She began to tug on her mother's arm

"Alright I'm coming," Jennifer opened her eyes, she knew she'd never get any sleep at this point, her kid was full of sugar and hyper as hell

"Darling, you haven't slept all night, neither have I we both have to get some rest," Jonathan said watching Aubrey jump up and down to make sure she didn't land on her brothers

"We'll rest when they are out of the house in about 18 years," She said noticing that Lucas was passed out despite his sister's noisy entrance

"What we going to do today?" Aubrey demanded

"Well, I think we're going to go to the zoo, and see all the animals!" She tried to make it sound exciting but seeing the serious look on Aubrey's face told her that was a bad idea " What about the aquarium?"

"What that?" Aubrey stopped jumped and leaned forward into her Mama's face, attempting to take the place of her baby brother

"Remember in the little mermaid where Ariel swam all around with the different fishes? It's like that" Jonathan said pulled her into his lap

"Since when have you seen the little mermaid," Jennifer was trying not to laugh

"Trust me Darling, in the few short days you've been gone, we've gone through the Disney vault at least twice" Jonathan said tickling his daughter

"Alright baby let's give me and your daddy a chance to get dressed and cleaned up, go ask Grandpa Stephen to turn on the TV" Jennifer said putting Lucas into his carrier

"Grandpa, time to watch Dora!" Aubrey hopped off her Daddy's lap and ran into the living room

"Are you sure you want to do this? We can always stay here and I'll take her to the pool," Jonathan said taking off his suit jacket noticing the grass stains

"No we need to spend time together as a family and give Max and Pearl a break," She said unbuttoning her shirt and noticed Jonathan staring at her

"I love you, your gorgeous," Jonathan said kissing her

"That's not going to change my mind or get you out of coming with us, but if you hurry we can conserve water together, "She said heading into the bathroom

"Have I ever told you, I love the way you think!" He said chasing after her

After making love in the shower, they got dressed and went to the living room where their daughter was staring at the TV like a zombie, absently drinking her milk

"I bet if we screamed fire, she wouldn't budge" Jonathan remarked

"Oh come on, you have the same look on your face when the Lakers take to the court," She said smiling and picking up her daughter

"Mama, I watching!" Aubrey snapped out of her state and was angry at being disturbed

"Well if we don't get you bathed and dressed, we can't go!" Jennifer said carrying her into the other bedroom and picking up the small suitcase that had been packed

"Mama I want to wear that!" She pointed to a pink tutu she'd stuffed into the bag when Pearl wasn't looking

"Oh Baby, you can't wear that you don't want to ruin it if you end up getting wet," She knew that wearing a tutu seems like a good idea in theory but after a while Aubrey would get tired of it and want to take it off.

Aubrey huffed but allowed her mother to pick out a pair of jeans and a long sleeve shirt, although it was warm for early January, it was still cold out.

After getting Aubrey dressed and forgoing the bath instead just washing her face, Jennifer re changed the boys and got them into warm clothes, Lucas seem to finally be okay with her while Andrew smiled when she would look at him like he knew she would come back to him eventually.

"Darling," Jonathan came into the bedroom, "I think you'd better go see Max, he's asking for you "

"Is he alright?" She asked packing the diaper bag

"I don't know, he doesn't look too good, he's sweaty and he looks kind of pale," Jonathan said picking up Andrew's carrier

"Alright, Aubrey, come on Baby," She held out her hand for Aubrey to take, together they walked down the hall to Max and Pearl's room " Now baby when we get in there, you have to be really quiet because Poppa doesn't feel good"

"Okay Mama" She'd seen her Poppa Max earlier and he didn't look at all, he didn't even give her morning kiss on her forehead like he did every day

"Oh Jenny, I think something's wrong with Max.." Pearl was frantic , this wasn't just air sickness,

He was so far beyond that.

"What's wrong?" Jennifer was alarmed, Pearl never lost her cool

"I think he's having some sort of attack, he's so grey looking and he's sweating horribly,"

"Alright, Let me go look.. Baby sit on the couch and don't move until Aunt Pearl, Daddy or I come get you okay?" She put her daughter on the couch and went into the bedroom where Max was laying on his side breathing hard

"Mrs. H, you came back!" He gasped

"Of course I did, Max what's the matter?" He looked awful, his hair was flattened and uncombed, and he was wearing a wife beater tank top and pajama pants like he'd been trying to dress himself but had gotten too tired and gave up

"Eh it's nothing, I'll be alright," He looked so tired and sad, "I tried to keep them safe for you"

"I know you did," She kissed his forehead, "Max, I think we'd better get you to a hospital"

"No I'm fine," He gasped for the strength to even speak

"Max, You're going to the hospital, I don't care if Jonathan has to carry you out!" Jennifer picked up the hotel phone and requested an ambulance

"I'm fine," He didn't even believe his own words

"I'm going to tell Jonathan to pack up the boys and we'll be right back," Jennifer kissed his forehead just before she left him, he grabbed her arm

"I love you, you are my daughter and he is my son, thank you for coming into our lives," He whispered

"Oh Max," She whispered "you're going to be fine, besides How will Lucas grow into his name without you there?"

"He'll have you and Mr. H.." his voice was just above a whisper

"We need you Max, we always have" She couldn't stop the tears

"Just promise that whatever happens, you'll take care of Pearlie for me" He closed his eyes

"I promise, she'll always be a part of our family" Just then she heard Jonathan come in with the boys and speak to Pearl, who was sitting on the couch quietly crying

"Darling," He looked so concerned

"He looks awful, I don't know to do," She began to cry harder

"We'll just have to wait until we get to the hospital," he didn't want to deal with the possibilities of Max actually passing, just yesterday he seemed a little out of sort but Jonathan took it as just being run down from being with the kids all day

Suddenly the room became crowded with EMTS and Police workers, asking questions that Pearl only seemed to be able to answer and then they were asked to leave so the EMTS could work on Max

They stood helplessly on the other side of the room, wanting so bad to speak to them about the care Max was to get but it didn't seem like the proper time

After what seemed like an eternity, an EMT looking around 20 approached them and told them that Max's pulse was low and that he could possibly have pneumonia but they wouldn't definitely know until they got to the hospital

Pearl nearly turned white herself before she demanded that she ride in the ambulance with Max, Jonathan and Jennifer agreed only because it would take two of them to handle all three kids

The ride to the hospital was spent in silence, remembering all those great moments with Max, how he made them smile when their hearts were breaking over their missing child, and how no matter how sad or depressed they got, he would come up with some sort of surprise. He took his role as head of their household very seriously and they would never deny him that chance to continue on as that.

They followed behind the ambulance, stopping only to take the boys out and Aubrey, who was so tiny that her father figured it would be faster if she just rode on his shoulders while he carried one of the carriers

They found Pearl sitting in a waiting room, sobbing

"Oh my god, what's happened" Jennifer put the carrier she was holding on the chair in front of her and hugged Pearl

"He just kept making me promise that no matter what happened, that I would stay with you guys, and now they won't tell me anything"

Jonathan walked over to the Nurse Station, and asked that a doctor come to them with an update, it would be awhile but they would come out soon.

Aubrey sensing how sad Pearl was, climbed into her lap and patted her head, "Don't be sad, Poppa doesn't want you to be sad"

"How can you be so sure," Pearl asked clutching the little girl

"Cuz that's what Poppa always say, why so sad when you know you can laugh about it"

"Very true Baby Very true" Jennifer was amazed that her two year old so wise, this child was meant to do great things even at her young age

Just then Lucas started to cry and Andrew wasn't too far behind him, "I'd better go change the boys,"

"I'll come with you and help," Pearl stood up

"I've got it, just wait for news on Max" She picked up both carriers struggling a bit because both boys had somehow gotten heavier

She quickly changed them, talking to them as if they had a clue what was going on," Alright guys, Mama needs a favor, I know you still have a connection to the big guy upstairs so maybe you can toss in a hail Mary pass for Poppa Max for your Mama's as well as Daddy's sake."

Lucas sneezed and Jennifer took that as a "Yes Mama"

Jennifer went back to the waiting room but noticed Jonathan and Aubrey were gone

"They went to the cafeteria," Pearl said studying her hands as if she knew Jennifer would ask where they were, "I have something to tell you but you can't be mad at me"

"Never," Jennifer couldn't imagine ever being angry with Pearl

"Well, we sort of eloped while you guys were up in the mountains," She pulled her hands out of Jennifer's to reveal a basic gold band, Jennifer had been so wrapped up in her mystery that she had never noticed

"What? Why didn't you tell us," Jennifer wasn't angry in fact she was intrigued and thrilled…

"Because we just couldn't find the right time," Pearl couldn't believe it herself, they had just decided to up and get married one morning, it was a mutual decision and probably the best one she'd ever made "I've never felt this way about anyone since George died and now it looks like I'm burying another husband"

"We don't know that, for all we know it could be something minor," Jennifer hugged Pearl knowing that until the doctor came out, it was useless words

Jonathan came back with Aubrey who was chewing on a cookie that was bigger than her face and Sat down beside them two, just waiting for some sort of answer

Hours went by and they waited, each taking a turn with a baby or Aubrey to distract them

And then a young doctor came out and asked for a Mrs. Brenneman, When Pearl stood up and announced that was her, Jonathan was confused but a look from Jennifer told him that she would explain it later

"Let's go into the back room and talk privately ," the doctor asked her

"My son, daughter in law and their children are coming, they need to be informed as well," Pearl could never exclude them, they were her family no

"Mrs. Brenneman, Your Husband…"


	8. Changes Tantrums and New Faces

"Mrs. Brenneman, your husband has had a heart attack, normally we'd treat him here but because of his advanced age, past history with heart problems and the fact his doctors are back in Los Angeles, we'd like to ship him there so he can get proper care," The doctor said sitting across from them at a large table

"But that's 3,000 miles away, why can't you treat him here?" Pearl asked

"Because we're not equipped to deal with his type of heart condition, myocarditis which is an inflammation of the heart caused by a virus and almost always fatal, but with proper rest and treatment and a short hospital stay, he'll get better but I can't say that he'll receive that here in Maryland" the doctor said, he seemed to have sympathy for them.

"Can you just give us a few minutes to discuss our options?" Jonathan asked quietly

"Yes of course," the doctor left the room

"What are we going to do?" Pearl asked quietly, she may have been his wife but this was a group decision, Max was important to all of them and she wouldn't feel right if she overstepped her place, she was new to the family after all

"We're going to take Max Home where he belongs and take care of him there, He won't get any better here, he needs to be in familiar territory," Jonathan said quietly

"I agree, we can't do anything here, we need to go back to Los Angeles," Jennifer agreed watching Aubrey make faces at Lucas, Andrew was sleeping his tiny thumb in the corner of his mouth

"But how are we going to work this? I don't see how we can manage three little ones and Max, he'll need so much time to recover," She didn't want to shrink back on her duties with the kids but she knew that Max needed her more right now

"We'll take care of that , Don't worry about them.." Jennifer said watching Pearl wipe her eyes, she had never seen Pearl cry before, this just add further to her guilt about taking off without realizing Max was sick.

"Oh my god, your investigation you've invested so much time and effort," Pearl said holding Jennifer's hand

Jennifer stood up and went to hug Pearl, "We'll still continue on with that but we need to get home which isn't much of a home without you, Max Jonathan or the babies"

"I not a baby, I a big girl!" Aubrey said standing up and stomping her foot

"Oh no, you'll always be my baby!" Jennifer picked her up and kissed her nose, she hadn't realized how big her baby was getting, she was tall with long red hair and deep dimples like her daddy and every she seemed to learn a new word or have a new idea, If left to her own devices, she could take over the world.

"We'll make all the arrangements and then go back to the hotel, we all need to rest because we won't do Max any good if we're all exhausted." Jonathan said picking up both baby carriers

Pearl went to fill out the forms for the transport, in actuality she was avoiding his hospital room because she just wasn't sure if she could handle seeing him so weak and sad, he'd been so strong just hours before. This marriage was so important to her, her past marriages had been based on sex and this was purely emotional. She'd never fallen so fast.

While Jennifer, Jonathan and the kids went to see Max, the doctors would only let them in for a few minutes and they had to promise to keep their kids quiet.

Jennifer walked in first with Aubrey in her arms, Jonathan behind her with the boys, Max was asleep with an oxygen mask over his face, his skin translucent and grey, he looked about 20 years older.

"Oh my god," Jennifer stopped in her tracks

"People always look horrible in hospitals, something about the lighting" Jonathan said putting the carriers down

"Is that how horrible i looked in the hospital?"

"Who looks good after two weeks on bed rest and three hours of hard labor and a crash c-section then again, your always gorgeous" He smiled at her

"Nice Save Buster,"

"Mama, Down" Aubrey asked,"Please"

"Baby, be careful Poppa Max is very tired and we don't want to wake him up," Jennifer said lowering Aubrey to the ground

She walked to the side of the hospital bed, and picked up Max's hand, although she was so small that her face barely reached the edge of the gurney but she was still able to hold onto his hand

"Daddy, up!" She requested not taking her eyes off Max, "Please"

"Aubrey, I said not to bother Poppa" Jennifer said reaching for her daughter but she squirmed away

"No Daddy up!" She was adamant that Jonathan picked her up, which he did curiously and then Aubrey kissed Max's head and whispered in his ear, whatever she said made his face relax as if he was waiting to hear what she had wanted to say

Jennifer tried not to cry but it was so hard and she was so exhausted.

After putting their kids and Pearl to bed that night, they lay in bed debating on what to do; it was something they both had to agree on.

"Darling, how are we going to cope, we could barely do this with four adults and with two of our team gone, we're going to have make some serious adjustments" Jennifer said lying on her side watching Jonathan prop himself against the pillows

"Well, I was thinking and I know you're not going to like this much, but maybe we should put Aubrey into a preschool program, she needs to be around kids her own age and learn how to deal with new situations involving kids, she can't get that being around adults all day."

"Oh I don't know, we just got her back, plus we were so long in the hospital with the boys, I feel like we're constantly throwing her to the wind and she's going to think we don't love her anymore,"

"That's not going to happen, she knows how crazy we are about her besides we can't keep putting our careers on the backburner, are you ready to give up your writing career? I know I can't keep leaving Hart industries to Mike, he's got a pregnant wife and it's too much to rely on his shoulders."

"No, I'm not ready to give up my career, it's a part of who I am but I'm also a mother, and that's more important than anything so as a mother, I don't think this is the right decision but We both need to agree and call the shot together so we'll look for a program, a day program.."

"I know one, a former friend of mine that was at Mission Hill with me, he runs a school now called Rosewood Day, it's got preschool through High School programs and they take kids as young as Aubrey," He smoothed back her hair, she looked up at him uncertainly

"I don't know, something doesn't feel right about this, I mean with some psycho constantly is after her, It just doesn't feel like we should let her out of our sight,"

"Darling, she's going to have to go to school eventually whether it be now or a year from now besides she's the smartest kid and I think she needs a chance to show it off,"

"Alright We'll take a look at the school but if it doesn't feel like the right situation, we're going to keep her home for another year until I feel like she's ready" She hugged the pillow

"Absolutely" Jonathan knew this was one argument he wouldn't win even if he tried, "We still need to find some extra help even with Aubrey in school,"

"We'll talk to Pearl, See if she knows anyone," Jennifer suddenly couldn't keep her eyes open

"I'm worried about her, She looks so sad" Jonathan said watching her eyes flutter

"Well, so would I, if anything ever happen to my husband I'd want to die with you," She whispered into the pillow

"We don't have to worry about that Darling, we're going to live forever," he kissed her nose and went to sleep

The next morning or rather a few hours later, both boys had taken turns wailing, they weren't used to having their mother back after being gone for a few days and so they would only be comforted by Jonathan, Andrew was less cranky than Lucas because his mother was his favorite but even still they were exhausted come the morning

Jonathan ordered coffee and breakfast while Jennifer changed the babies, they didn't want to wake their two year old tornado just yet.

"Darling, we never talked about our investigation and what I found in that car," Jennifer said bringing the boys to the table and placing them in their carriers

"Oh Darling, not before I've had my coffee besides there's nothing we can do with Pearl taking off to see Max and having all three kids, I don't see how we could," Jonathan rubbed his tired eyes

"I could go by myself," She said quietly

"We agreed not to continue searching without one another, it's not safe and I don't want you running all over Maryland on a wild goose chase, No, it's just going to have to wait until we're home and we have time to get settled." Jonathan was adamant,

Enough of this foolishness his wife was not going to run out on them again

"Where's my father," She said ignoring his tone, she'd bring it up later when he wasn't so exhausted

"After we came home and while you were putting the kids to sleep, He was packing and he said he didn't want to get in the way, that he was headed home and you can speak to him there," Jonathan began fixing the baby bottles because the boys were going to start screaming soon

"Why didn't you tell me this last night?" She asked taking the bottle from Jonathan, beginning to feed Lucas

"Because you were giving Aubrey a bath and I was putting the boys to bed, he came in and we just spoke for a bit, he probably figured you were still angry with him, Darling, it's not that big of a deal"

She rolled her eyes and continued feeding Lucas, Andrew tended to take longer to feed because of his meds and he was usually content sucking on his thumb while his brother ate first

Just then someone started knocking on the door, figuring it to be room service, Jonathan went to answer the door while she next started feeding Andrew

Just then trouble woke up

"Hi Baby!" Jennifer said cheerfully knowing her daughter was not a morning person and god help anyone who gets in her way before she got her milk

Aubrey grunted, dragging Simba by his tail, which was slowly losing fur from being constantly dragged around she never picked him up by his neck, always his tail, Jennifer knew that at some point they might have to invest in some extra Simbas in case he fell apart and couldn't be put back together again

"Are you hungry?"

Aubrey just grunted and rubbed her eyes

"Nice chatting with you, Baby" Jennifer rolled her eyes and putting Andrew back in his carrier after burping him

Jennifer noticed that Jonathan was taking a long time at the door and picked up Lucas, who was fussing from exhaustion

"Darling, who's there?" She asked coming behind him, he was having an animated conversation and hadn't noticed her come behind him

It was an older woman, with blondish white hair and a breathy accident

"Darling this is Pearl's sister, Jessica Fletcher whose come all the way from Maine to help us out,"

"How do you do?" Jessica held out her hand to Jennifer, who shook it with her pinky because the baby was covering up both her hands "And who is this little one?"

"This is Lucas, our other two are in the kitchenette, excuse my husband's manners and please come in," She flashed a toothy smile and gestured for Jessica to follow her

"Baby, this is our new friend, Jessica can you say hi to her?" Jennifer said putting Lucas back in his carrier

Aubrey wasn't stupid enough to fall for that one, last time she did, she wound up in a stranger's house and the longest timeout of her little life so when this stranger came into her Mama and Daddy's living room, she was cautious

"Aubrey, Mama asked you a question," Jonathan said surprised at his daughter, she was usually more forthcoming

Aubrey stood firm, she wasn't going to fall for this one instead she simply nodded her head and began rubbing Simba's head and sucking her thumb

"I'm sorry, Jessica, we've had a few interesting few months," Jennifer smiled apologetically

"Oh don't worry about it, Pearl's told me all about it and since she'll be busy with Max and his recovery I'm here to help with the babies," She sat down at the table across from Aubrey who was now looking at her with wide eyes

"That's a wonderful offer but we'll be leaving for California in a few days," Jonathan said going to open the door for room service

"I know, I've agreed to go on with you to California," Jessica said smiling at Andrew in his carrier and playing with one of his hands

"Are you sure?" Jennifer asked crinkling her nose, "Because that's quite an undertaking,"

"Yes, I'm sure, My husband has passed and we didn't have any children ourselves besides Pearlie talks so highly of you all I think this will be good for me and I've never been to California before so this will be a new experience," Jessica smiled, she had kind eyes

Just then Aubrey tugged on her shirt, "Cusie me, but are you Mrs. Potts?" Her eyes were so wide and hopeful, both Jennifer and Jessica couldn't help but chuckle

Jessica whispered into Aubrey's ear and whatever she was saying caused the little girl's eyes to widen bigger and bigger "Okay dokey" she whispered back loudly enough for her Mama to hear

"Darling, Pearl wants to talk to us," Jonathan gestured for Jennifer to come into the front hall where Pearl was nervously wringing her hands

"Baby, why don't you go show Jessica some of your toys while I go talk to Daddy and Auntie Pearl?" Jennifer said

Aubrey smiled and took Jessica's hand and they went into the bedroom

"Pearl, what's going on?" Jonathan asked noticing how sad Pearl looked and her normally brushed down red hair was just pushed back like she'd been too stressed and kept running her hands through it

"Max is getting worse, we need to leave for California tonight, The doctor thinks that if we stay here much longer, he'll get worse and …"Pearl's eyes started to water, her face showing that she'd been crying all morning

"Alright we'll get packed and make sure we get him home where he belongs," Jonathan said gripping Pearl's shoulder

"No you're going to stay here with Jessie and finish your investigation; I made an appointment for you at the country coroner's office to find out more about the crash, the day after tomorrow."

"No, we need to go home for Max," Jennifer wondered why Pearl was insisted on them staying in Maryland, it was almost like she was afraid if they all went back to Willow Pond, the chaos would be begin and Max wouldn't be able to get better.

"You know Max would be furious if he knew that the only reason you came home was for him, now you know you won't be able to focus on the kids, Jonathan and this if you were back in California stressing over Max," Pearl was adamant, they were not going to return to California with this whole mess effecting their every move, it would make Max nuts that he was helpless to them.

"If you're sure," they said in unison

"Yes Absolutely," She was his wife and she would make sure he would get better or die trying

"Alright, well tell Max we love him and we'll see him soon," Jonathan said hugging Pearl

Jennifer suddenly started crying realizing her rock would leaving her for the first time in months, and she wondered how her babies would react to the sudden again loss of a major presence in their lives

"Baby, come say goodbye to Aunt Pearl," Jennifer called out, tears streaming down her face

Aubrey came running out with Jessica behind her, "Aunty Pearl!"

"Oh my little one, I'm going to miss you so much but we'll be together soon," Pearl said kissing her round face

"Where is you going? Where's Poppa?" She asked studying Pearl's sad red rimmed eyes

"Remember how Poppa's sick, well, We're going to a place to make him better," Pearl carefully chose her words because she knew how sensitive Aubrey could be

"I go too!" She announced '

"No Baby, you need to stay here with Daddy, me Jessica and the Boys," Jennifer reached for her daughter and felt her heart break when she twisted away

"No Mama, I go with Aunt Pearl!" Aubrey was adamant and frustrated as well

"Aubrey, please you have to stay here," Pearl whispered in her ear

Suddenly Aubrey began having a full blown tantrum, she slid down Pearl's hip to the floor and started screaming and crying, she was tired of people coming in and out of her life, first that weird lady then Mama and Daddy then Mama again and now Pearl and Poppa , everyone was constantly leaving

Jennifer understood why she was so upset, it was crazy the constant comings and goings of everyone, the kid needed constancy

"Baby, please calm down," She pleaded with Aubrey, but she was hysterically screaming and fat tears were streaming down her face, her tiny face matching her deep red hair

"Aubrey, get up" Jonathan tried being firm with her but no one could hear themselves over the screaming , "Aubrey, you're going to make yourself sick"

"Let's just bring her into the bedroom and see if we can calm her down," Jennifer said picking up Aubrey who struggled against her mother, she was only around 25lbs but she was dead weight, and she was fighting so hard she threw her head back in anger and caught her mother in the teeth, immediately blood began pouring out of Jennifer's mouth but she didn't notice, her only concern in getting her daughter to calm down

"Darling, are you alright?" Jonathan asked over the screaming

"I'm fine," She shook her head and half dragged her kid into the bedroom

"Jess, can you watch the boys," Jonathan asked quietly

"Of Course," Jessica said, she'd been standing back watching the whole scene, it wasn't her place to get involved in family issues

"Baby, you've got to calm down," Jennifer said putting Aubrey onto the bed, not realizing she was dripping blood all over the white sheets

"Mama, No!" Aubrey screamed

"Aubrey, honey, please stop screaming," Jonathan pleaded with her, he'd never seen her act this way before then again she'd been through so much it was a long time coming.

She was screaming and crying so hard, that Jennifer was afraid she was going to hyperventilate herself unconscious.

"What do we do?" Jennifer pleaded with Jonathan to help her but he was clueless, this was new territory

Jonathan could only shrug

Jennifer suddenly lunged forward, picked up Aubrey and laid her across her chest, she remembered reading when she was pregnant about how when babies fuss, holding them to your chest they can sense your heart beat and it calms them down

"It's alright Baby, just cry," She whispered lying against the pillows, after nearly an hour of sobbing, Aubrey finally exhausted herself and passed out on her Mama's chest, afraid any movement would cause her to wake up and they'd be right back where they started , Jennifer wanted to see how bad her own face looked

"Jonathan," She whispered, he'd laid down beside her and rubbed Aubrey's back awhile she cried and nearly fell asleep himself, "Can you get me the small mirror?"

"Darling, it looks so bad, your lip is swollen and are you sure you didn't lose a tooth?" he brushed his thumb across her lip and when she flinched, he realized that she must be in agony

"No but I have a feeling we may need to find a plastic surgeon because I think I may need a stitch or two," Jennifer crinkled her nose in pain, "but I don't want to move her,"

"I don't think you need stitches, it just looks bruised badly, I think for the time being we should just stay put, I think if we leave her again, she'll lose her mind. Darling she scared the hell out of me," He confessed

"It's my fault,"

"How do you figure?" he looked at her curiously

"Well, we just get her back, then suddenly I went into the hospital for nearly three weeks, then we bring home two little strangers, barely home for two months then I take off and now Pearl and Max are leaving, it's enough to make anyone crazy, let alone a two year old," She studied the little face so identical to hers

"Well, when things get settled back home, and we're back to a regular routine, she'll be alright," Jonathan wasn't pinning his hopes on that just yet but something was going to have to give.

"Are you rethinking the whole preschool idea now, because I sure as hell am," she whispered seeing Aubrey's eyes flutter and hoping it was just a passing flutter.

"No I think it's more important than ever, she needs to learn to adjust to new situations," Jonathan said

"She's adapted more than the average kid, this isn't healthy," Jennifer argued, right now if she could she'd homeschool Aubrey after witnessing her little meltdown

"I think we should talk about this later," He sat up and walked to the door

"It's not a good idea," She said before he closed the door quietly

The rest of the afternoon was spent napping, she knew that she should be concerned that she'd left her boys with a virtual stranger but her daughter was so lost and her little world was forever being turned upside, she needed a little Mama time

She woke up realizing that her daughter was no longer lying across her chest and went to the kitchen where Aubrey was drinking milk, while watching the Lion King and Jessica was playing with Andrew, but where was Jonathan and Lucas?

"Hi," She said sitting in the chair across from them "Where's Daddy?"

"Out," Aubrey didn't acknowledge her presence or even move her eyes from the screen

"Mr. Hart took the baby out on an errand, he left you a note," Jessica said reaching around Andrew on her lap and in her pocket and handed Jennifer a note

_Darling, you were asleep so I've decided to take the baby and go on an errand, don't worry we'll be safe, if we're not back in time for dinner we'll just grab something, and yes I remembered the diaper bag,- J and Luc _

Jennifer re-read the note twice and realized that this wasn't just an errand they were running, they'd gone to the apartment of Margaret McCormack, her father's old girlfriend and one of the victims of the car crash that her daughter was supposed to be in

She supposed she should have been furious that he'd gone back on his word to continue on their investigation together and that he'd taken their four month old but she understood that he believed in protecting her and that maybe he figured by taking the baby somehow he could get into the building. She wanted to know more though

"Baby, put your shoes on, Mama's going to track down Daddy and Lucas," She said standing

"Aw Mama, no I don't want to go," Aubrey said peeling her eyes away from the screen

"I can watch both of them for you, Mrs. Hart if you would like," Jessica smiled, she was like a better version of Mary Poppins

"Are you sure?" Just hours ago, She'd witnessed Aubrey lose her mind and yet she was still willing to stay on with them, she must really love kids, "Baby, is that alright? I promise Daddy and I will be right back,"

"Uh Huh," Aubrey was back in her zone with the Lion King, she didn't care even still Jennifer left the room quietly just in case

She drove her rental car in silence, just thinking about the past few months, about how they kept going forward and backward and how that wasn't the life she'd envisioned her family having, constantly chasing each other down, in and out of police stations, worrying if Andrew was breathing properly, If Aubrey would wreak more havoc and would hurt herself, and the constant worry that Lucas would always push her away, blaming her for spending more time with Andrew. All these thoughts and worries that Jonathan would leave her again, it was always in the back of her mind, he'd left her before when she needed him the most and although he'd stepped up amazingly as a husband and father, there was still a piece of her that lived in constant fear he would just decide she wasn't worth it and that their children deserved a better mother.

And take permanent custody of them, the self-made millionaire versus the journalist, she'd never have a chance, the thought of her babies growing up without her being around to guide them made her cry.

She followed the GPS on her cell to the address she remembered on the driver's license she'd found in the junkyard and saw Jonathan's rental car parked in the back, the building was an old rundown apartment complex, she noticed some kids playing in a makeshift playground and there may have been a pool about 20 years ago but now it looked like some teenagers were using it as a skateboard ramp

She walked to the front of the building where she noticed an older woman sitting in her porch window

"Hello my is .."Jennifer started to say before the older woman squealed

"I know who you are," the woman said,"Your Jill McCormack, Maggie's sister, I remember seeing your pictures on Maggie's mantle!"

"That's right, I'm her sister," Jennifer played along, "I'm sorry I can't remember your name,"

"Ellis Grey," the woman extended her arm out the window "I thought Maggie said you were living in Africa,"

"I had to come back, too much living in the jungle and not enough civilization," She thanked the heavens for a quick mind

"I understand, Are you here to pick up Maggie's belongings? Awful shame that she ran off with the Egyptian man isn't it…How is she?"

They didn't know

"Actually I'm not sure, Maggie simply sent a post card asking that I clean out her apartment," She hoped the apartment was still there, it had been three years who knew if someone was keeping up with the rent?

"Really? That's odd because I thought since the apartment was paid for and she said that there was a chance she'd come back," Ellis Grey looked concerned

"Who paid for the apartment?" Jennifer asked

"Her Baby's father, Oh that was a shame I think he had something to do with that baby's death, he was always a sketchy fella" just then a phone rang "Oh Excuse me, you have Maggie's keys right?"

"No," She hadn't gotten that far in her plans, she was flying by the seat of her jeans," I think she was hoping that the super could let me in,"

"Here, take my keys, Maggie's key is on there," Ellis tossed the keys to Jennifer then went to answer the phone

Jennifer noticed that MCJ was etched along with the apartment number on the keys and went inside the building, she wondered how Jonathan managed to get inside the apartment with the baby, she'd find out soon enough

Jennifer found the apartment and stood outside the door for several minutes before put the key in the door and found it was already unlocked

"Ahello, Housekeeping," She slipped into a Spanish accent in case it wasn't her husband

"Yo, you the pizza guy?" a voice that sounded like it belong in New York City, she recognized the accent

"No I'm here to find my husband, 6'1 brown haired dimples body that puts Redford to shame," She whistled walking further into the apartment, it was decorated with all sorts of knick knacks and overstuffed furniture, all sorts of movie posters it looked like a dorm room rather than a grown woman's apartment

"Well then you've come to the right place," He came out of the back bedroom and met her half way, he kissed her lips and suddenly she felt the familiar electricity race through her body

"Mmm, where's Lucas?" She whispered

"Asleep in the carrier on the couch, want to be naughty?" he whispered

"Later, I promise, Let's get this over with, what have you found so far?"

"Well, a crib still it's box, a few baby toys and some baby outfits, nothing that screams infant, some clothes crammed in a closet and an unmade bed,"

"Good work, Remind me to thank you later," She noticed a desk and sat down in the chair, "So what made you come here,"

"I thought maybe I could find something that would give you peace of mind."He watched her open the drawers

"And you brought the baby because," She looked at him sincerely, she thought she'd be furious with him but she found that her curiosity overshadowed her anger

"Well the Tornado was wrapped up in lion king, Which I now am officially sick to death of, "He laughed, "Andrew was asleep and Lucas was the only one who was alert and not acting temperamental, at least until feeding time"

"And how did you get past the woman in the window?" She said pulling out files,

"I claimed to be a lost delivery man, who happened to bring his son along for the ride," He smiled

Those dimples could stop Hitler in tracks

"Very Sneaky," She narrowed her eyes and reached her hand further in the desk feeling something taped to the inside of the drawer, "Darling I think I've got something"

"Do you need help?" He walked over to where she was sitting

"No I've got it," She gave whatever it was a good yank and pulled it out, gasping

"What is it?" Jonathan said alarmed

"It's a picture of Elliot!"


	9. Set fire to the rain

_One Month Later _

_Back in Bel Air _

After she'd found that picture of Elliot taped to the desk and nearly hyperventilated herself unconscious, Jonathan had basically picked her off the floor and taken her and the baby back to the hotel, where she started rambling on about how Elliot was everywhere and that it was never going to end, She was so upset and incoherent, that Jonathan called a local doctor who gave her a quick sedative shot and told him to put her to bed for the night.

He decided while watching her sleep, that enough time had passed and it was time to let this mystery die. It was taking a toll on his children and shredding his wife's fragile mind. They needed to get into a routine that worked for all five of them, his business needed some attention and Although he hated the thought of returning to 80 hour weeks, he needed to make sure that the industry didn't collapse around him.

This whole thing was too much of a distraction and the focus needed to be returned to their lives and family.

No wonder his daughter was losing her mind like her Mama.

After Jennifer had slept for a good 13 hours because Jonathan had told Jessica to take the kids to the room Pearl and Max had vacated and to keep them there no matter what. He came to check on them, to read Aubrey a story, and to make sure the boys didn't have a meltdown, he played with them quickly, shaking their rattles and blowing on their bellies to get a few much needed giggles and then he'd go back to Jennifer's room to watch her sleep, although even asleep she frowned and turned over restlessly, He'd never been so helpless before, his wife was struggling and he couldn't console her.

Nothing could.

Jonathan had nearly forgotten about the appointment with the coroner in all the craziness, He knew that Jennifer wasn't up to talking with them, So when she woke up and ate something, He told her flat out that her part in this mystery was over and that she could argue with him to the hills but she was to stay put and wait for him to come back with the full report.

For once she didn't argue with him, he knew that she was still emotionally exhausted and that all this research and discovery was uncovering something bigger than they could ever have imagined. He asked himself why she was insistent on this so much when their daughter was alive and well, Her guilt playing a piece of it because she had allowed her baby to go into the nursery that night instead of listening to her instincts. He wanted to know why she couldn't move on and enjoy the life they were creating. But even she didn't have an answer, just explaining it was mother's guilt, it would have been different if maybe they had themselves gotten into a car accident and Aubrey had been killed, at least then she could focus the blame on the other driver but in this case, she'd allowed her daughter to be taken away to the one place she never imagined would be harmful. Time would tell if her guilt could be dissuaded.

When she was strong enough and the kids were settled in at home, he wanted to take her away on vacation. Some real time alone where she could relax and they could talk without little voices screaming.

He took along Jessica because she needed to know what was going on and what to watch for, she could think of questions that he normally wouldn't think of, She had mentioned to him earlier that she was working on a mystery novel and this could be fodder for her plot.

They stood in the county coroner's office where a Dr. Melinda Warren greeted them, wearing blue scrubs and rubber gloves, she'd just gotten done performing an autopsy on Train accident victim, the doctor lead them into a back office where she sat behind a large desk and told them that this wasn't normal protocol but as a favor to Pearl, who'd helped put her through Med school after her mother's death.

Pearl's connections made going through red tape easier and for that Jonathan would never ever doubt her loyalty to their family again

Doctor Warner explained that during the police chase, the car estimated going at 110 miles per hour suddenly veered into the wrong lane, slamming into the truck almost as if the driver had no control over the car, it went over the median, airborne for 30 feet skidded and slid into the side of the tanker truck , exploding both on impact.

The Doctor said that when her team arrived on the scene, the impact and fireball was so great that it took nearly an hour to put out and even then, there was still flames.

When asked about the conditions of the bodies in the car, The doctor noted that that the unidentified passenger, it looked as if she tried to protect herself by sliding under the dashboard but when the car impacted and exploded, the victim had been melted into plastic and that her lungs were nearly black from the inhalation of smoke and charred bits, it had taken hours to cut her out of the car and even then her skin was still stuck.

Jonathan turned white and Jessica put her hand to her throat, disgusted yet still intrigued as to how the passenger managed to get under the dashboard so quickly until the coroner said that the driver of the car, had had his throat slit just before losing control of the car, in fact that might have been a reason why he lost control but the way his throat was cut suggested a third person might have been in the car and escaped just before the collision.

Jonathan asked after recovering, if there might have been a child in the car based on what Elliot had said about them swapping out the baby with a fake and remembering how Jennifer had found the diaper bag, Melinda told them that there wasn't a child in the car and if there was, she would have probably also melted into the interior of the backseat.

Jonathan couldn't hear anymore, his heart broke at the possibility of his baby girl getting hurt and the images racing through his mind, He thanked Melinda for taking time out to speak with them and left, Jessica trailing behind him. Before they had gone in, He'd told her the whole story from the Jennifer left him in Mexico through Aubrey's birth, the accident and finding her in Kenya, He felt he owned her an explanation because she was a part of their family now and had been a witness to his daughter's meltdown. Jessica listened intently and commented it was a miracle that Aubrey came out without emotional or physically scars. Jonathan readily agreed. And after leaving the coroner's office, Jonathan's emotions got the best of him and he began to cry quietly, finally understanding what Jennifer had meant.

After the trip to the coroner's office, They had packed up and returned home, happy but more cautious because they weren't sure if what they had found would come back to haunt them and for a while it was a peaceful life ..Well peaceful with two infants and a hyper two year old.

Max was still in and out of the Hospital with Pearl as his guardian, She had moved out of the Guest house and into an apartment to be near Max, he'd come to heavily depend on her and it was too much for her to be in Bel Air when He was clear across town and so with Jonathan's help, she'd secured a place for the time being. Every day was an update and some days they even brought the kids, He always said that a visit from Aubrey was like a visit from his own personal angel … Things settled down quite nicely

Until late one night

After giving the kids their bathes and putting them in bed and watching, and for once making love without an interruption of a kid screaming over a bottle or changing, They had fallen asleep holding each other when Jennifer heard a noise downstairs..

"Jonathan!" She whispered frantically, "Jonathan!"

"Hmm again? But I'm so spent …Oh alright" He rolled over on top of her, But she pushed him off her and he dropped back onto his pillow

"Darling, Someone's downstairs .."

"It's probably Jessica.." He said with his face in the pillow but a scraping noise made him jump up, it sounded like a kitchen chair had been moved, he reached for his gun in the dresser and hissed quietly "Go get the kids and bring them in here, call 911…"

She nodded and quickly reached for her nightgown on the floor, while he quietly went down the hall, she turned in the opposite direction to head to the nursery

He crept quietly down the stairs, through the living room, stepping on one of the boys light up glow worms and nearly wetting himself when it began singing "now I lay me down to sleep" , he picked up the toy and threw it onto the couch, moving again slowly he opened the kitchen door holding out his gun

"Anyone there?" He called

No answer, He opened the door further and saw that something was left on the kitchen table, he moved forward and saw it was a Jack in the Box that said "Wind me up,"

More out of curiosity, he wound up the toy and suddenly the clown started singing " Pop goes the weasel" which segued into a creepy little voice "I know what you did, It makes me SICK, I'm going to tel Give me back my babyl!" and fireworks began shooting out of the lid, Startled and afraid for his face, he dropped the toy and ran into the living room where the explosions continued on for several more minutes

Upstairs, Jennifer had gotten the kids up, Aubrey whining that she was tired and why did Mama wake her up, Jennifer telling her that Daddy wanted all of his babies in the big bed with them and wouldn't it be fun to sleep over, Aubrey wasn't convinced and was gearing up for a fit when it sounded like shots coming from the kitchen woke her up completely, Jessica hurriedly came out of her room next to the boys nursery and without a word, helped gathered them up

"Mama..what that noise?" Aubrey blocked her ears and the boys began to wail loudly

"I don't know Baby but Daddy's gone to find out, "Jennifer was spooked but didn't want to show it because her fear would set them off more, She lead the four of them into their bedroom but As she turned to put Andrew's carrier on the bed, Aubrey gasped and suddenly darted out of the room, without thinking, She shoved the carrier at Jessica and chased after her

"Aubrey Rose, get back here! " Jennifer hissed loudly, she wasn't sure if intruders were in the house

"I Forgot Simba, Mama," Aubrey paused at her bedroom door as Jennifer caught up with her

"He'll be fine, we need to go back and wait for Daddy," Jennifer picked her up and walked back to her bedroom where Jessica was trying to calm Andrew down whose little face was bright red , Lucas had fallen back asleep "Want to switch,"

"Sure," Jessica had developed a close bond with Aubrey and had figured out what made her tick, she pulled Aubrey into her lap and began to make a story to distract her

Jennifer decided that Andrew wasn't going to calm down anytime soon and she was curious about what was going on in the kitchen that she left Lucas and Aubrey with Jessica and wondered downstairs to see where Jonathan was.

She got half way down the stairs when Jonathan came running out of the kitchen and when he saw her, he yelled at her to get back upstairs, that the kitchen was on fire and to call 911, she saw that his face was cut up and started to walk further down the stairs when he yelled at her louder to get back upstairs especially with the baby in her arms.

She turned on her heels and hurried up the stairs, bursting through the door and placing the baby in his carrier and then calling 911

"Mrs. Hart what's going on?" Jessica asked

" The Kitchen is on F-I-R-E, "She spelled for Aubrey's sake,

"Oh my, we should get out immediately ," Jessica stood up with Aubrey in her arms

"I agree as soon as I get through to the department we'll head out through the sun porch and down the stairs, Yes my name is Jennifer Hart, H-A-R-T yes like the Organ, "She rolled her eyes " and my kitchen is on fire and my husband is cut up send someone immediately , 21 Willow Pond ..Willow Like the tree? Bel Air," She listened for a moment and then hung up and gathered some blankets to keep the babies warm.

Jessica helped wrap up the kids and they made their way downstairs where smoke started to gather, Jonathan met up with them and they all went outside to the yard to wait for the fire fighters, In order to keep Aubrey from being underfoot, Jessica took her to the swing set which was far enough away from the house in case it went completely up in flames

"Jonathan, What Happened?" Jennifer demanded

"There was this Jack in the Box on the table when I wound it up, firecrackers ignited and it blew up .." He said dazed

"Are you alright?" She said noticing how badly his face was cut up

"I'm good," He didn't want her to take away focus from the kids or the fact that someone tried to set their house on fire, She didn't believe him for a second instead she listened for the sounds of the sirens and made sure the boys were kept warm, it was amazing Lucas was sleeping through all the commotion and Andrew was content on just watching everything, observing..

Another sign that although they were twins they'd grow up to be two very different people.

Soon the Fire Department came through the gates and into the house with hoses and axes, Jennifer couldn't bear the thought of them trampling through her house, destroying her kitchen and god knows what else, she took the kids and Jessica into the guest house leaving Jonathan to handle this whole thing but not before she insisted an EMT check on his face, just in case .. the EMT declared his wounds superficial and that with time, they would heal without scars much to her relief.

After getting the kids to sleep and Jessica also falling asleep, She watched their little chests rising, wondering how something so perfect could be compromised by such cruelness, she wondered how she could protect them without smothering them. To let them be kids, a carefree existence

Was it possible?

She must have fallen asleep because the next thing she knew, Jonathan was waking her up telling her that the Fire Chief cleared them to able to go back into the house. She told Jonathan that the kids and Jessica were exhausted, to leave them there for the time being.. She was also curious about the damage that was done to the house.

Jonathan took her hand and led her to the side of the house which didn't look too bad until she stepped in front of the door that lead to the kitchen and saw that the kitchen was completely burnt, everything had either melted or had been blackened by the smoke, everything have to be replaced

"Oh Darling, " She spun in a circle, devastated

"I know, I can't believe it either but at least we're all safe and we can rebuild," He pressed his hand to her shoulder

"An excuse to redecorate," she laughed feebly

"This time, I'll let you go wild,"

"Do you realize this is the exact place where I told you about being pregnant with the boys," She said

"And How many poker games we had here with Max," He smiled sadly

"Oh Max is going to be devastated, He'll probably check himself out of the hospital and rebuild it himself,"

"I can't believe this, why did this happen? Our family is in serious trouble,"

"I wish I could answer that Darling, "

"Are the upstairs trashed too," She leaned into his chest

"No, I think that's pretty safe but for the time being, I think we'd better stay in the guest house"

She could only nod "I feel like our entire lives have gone up in smoke,"

"Only Temporarily Darling," He lead her out of the kitchen and upstairs to pack a few things up for the kids including Simba because she knew Aubrey would have a fit staying in the guest room without him.

Trying to cram three adults and three small children into a guest house is nearly impossible especially with the boys beginning to crawl and Aubrey nearly swinging from the rafters, Jonathan took comfort in escaping to his office every day, leaving Jennifer to deal with contractors for the new kitchen, this it would be kid-proof, with spill proof tables and a small table in the corner for Aubrey to eat and although the fire place would be put back, it would be secure and gated off

She was sad throughout the whole process but didn't cry until the contractors moved out the old kitchen table, it was where they had many conversations and made love on it a few times, she remembered the feeling of cold wood against her back and how with every thrust, Jonathan made her moan, it was one of the first erotic trysts of their marriage and because of that. She always remembered a time when She and Jonathan were making love on the table and Max walked in on them, He cleared his throat and then said "You know, I eat my lunch on that table.." and after that he would only eat at the counter for months afterward.

She couldn't watch them get rid of the table. Some things are impossible to let go off

Things became even more chaotic when Jonathan arrived home one night with Chinese food and announced that Aubrey had been accepted into Rosewood Day's preschool program, Jennifer was nervous because it would mean that she would be out of Jennifer and Jessica's sights for 4 hours every day and with everything that was going on, she was even more fearful about leaving Aubrey but she realized she couldn't overprotect Aubrey

Who didn't exactly warm up to the idea of Leaving her Mama and brothers for however long it was, she did everything she could from trying to get herself sick to trying to injury herself with her tricycle and then hiding in a closet resulting in a frantic search for her in which her Mama nearly had a heart attack and when they finally wrestled her into her car seat, she screamed until they pulled into the parking lot.

"Come Baby, this is going to be great," Jennifer said excitedly but Aubrey wasn't buying it

"Mama, I want to go home now!" She said adamantly

"It's just for a few hours then you can come home and play with the boys," Jennifer said unbuckling her car seat

"Daddy, please don't make me go," she said sadly with her big blue eyes

"Aubrey, come here for a minute," He took her hand and lead her a few feet from Jennifer, who protested

"Jonathan, we're going to be late!" She tapped her watch

"Relax, I'm in a meeting with an important client," He held up his hand, "What's it going to take for you to go in there without a fit? Name your price ..anything?"

"Anything?" She tilted her pigtailed head to the side and thought for a minute, "Can we go to Disney world? With Just Mama, and not the boys?"

"I think we can arrange that but I have a few terms before we agree," He couldn't believe he was negotiating with his two year old, at this rate,he wouldn't be surprised if she surpassed him as CEO before the age of five

"Okay," she folded her arms like Jennifer and stared him down

"You have to behave, cooperate with the teacher and no heavy damage over 500 dollars, Deal?" He stuck out his hand to shake

"Deal" She shook his hand and then walked off, "All Right Mama, let's go,"

"What did you say to her?" Jennifer tried not to laugh

"Let's just say, don't make any plans for the weekend," He opened the door and they walked through to the classroom

"Daddy, I'm rethinking our deal," Aubrey said hiding behind Jonathan's legs when she saw all the different kids, it was overwhelming and this was so not what she wanted at all, she wanted to go home and watch Lion King

"Hi!" a little girl with black hair and thick glasses, and a tiny lisp ran up to them, "My name is Lilly , I got a new a Barbie, you want to see?"

"Hi Lilly, This is Aubrey," Jennifer bent down to their level, "And this is her first day,"

"You'll like it here, we get to color and graham crackers plus they have some really cool dress up clothes.." Lilly took Aubrey's hand and they went to the other side of the door

"Hello, I'm Miss Hall, one of the teachers here, "a tall blonde woman approached them

"Hello, my name is Jennifer Hart, this is my Husband Jonathan, we're dropping off our daughter Aubrey," Jennifer pointed her out, she was in the middle of a fashion show with Lilly

"Miss Hall, can we talk with you in private?" Jonathan asked quietly

"Of course," They went out to the Hallway where Jonathan quickly explained what was going on

"Under Absolutely no circumstances is Aubrey to go with anyone else except our nanny Jessica, my husband or I and I've enclosed that in a note to be put in her record," Jennifer said sternly

"Absoutely," The teacher nodded

Before starting school, they had gone over with Aubrey her phone number and how to dial 911, just in case they wanted to make sure she was prepared even at two.

After a few more instructions, they went back in the classroom to say goodbye to find her fighting with a little girl over a doll.

"IT'S MINE!" Aubrey yelled

"NO IT'S MINE!" The other little girl yelled back,

"Aubrey, Honey Let go" Jonathan said

"No Daddy, It's mine!" She wasn't letting go for all it's worth and Jennifer decided to just pick her and walk her across the room

"Alright Baby Daddy and I have to go, please behave and get along with the other children" Jennifer hugged her daughter, who kissed her and Jonathan and ran back to play

They stood outside the classroom

"Tell me we're doing the right thing," Jennifer said watching through the window

"I hope so," Jonathan kissed her head

The weekend came much too soon and On Sunday, while Jonathan was at the golf course, Jennifer and Jessica were upstairs with the boys, Aubrey made a discovery.

She was throwing a ball around with Freeway when she threw it a little too hard and hit the clock behind the bar

"Uh Oh," She walked over to the bar and the smashed clock, noticing a button where it once stood, she studied it for a few minutes then decided she wanted to see what it did, she pulled a chair from the other side of the bar and climbed up, not caring she was making the smashed clock even worse she pressed the button and waited nothing happened for a few minutes, feeling disappointed she started to get down when the wall began to separate, revealing the secret passage way, curious even more she climbed down and walked behind the walls to find a stair case, scooting down the stairs on her behind she came to another wall and started to look around when the wall upstairs closed and the room became pitch black, she suddenly realized that this was a bad idea and climbed back up the stairs, calling for her Mama but getting no answer, she sat down and waited remembering a time before she came to when she was in Africa and she was in a small confined area like a closet a room like this.

"Baby, time for Lunch," Jennifer came downstairs looking for her, "Baby?"

No answer, Jennifer saw Freeway lying on the floor beside the bar, "Freeway, have you seen Aubrey?" she said scratching his ears

Jennifer wondered through the rest of the house, calling for Aubrey and becoming panic stricken that maybe someone had taken her daughter all over again, she went outside and thought maybe Aubrey had wondered outside to the swing set but she wasn't there.

Jennifer ran back to the house and called for Jessica, "Have you seen Aubrey?"

"No Mrs. Hart," Jessica said with Andrew in her arms, after having fed Lucas

"I'm going to back outside if I'm not back in 10 minutes call Mr. Hart,"

Jessica nodded

Jennifer circled the property again and even asked the security guards if they had seen Aubrey but no one had seen her

Just as she was debating on calling the Police, Jonathan screeched to a stop in his car and ran into the house, "JENNIFER"

"Oh god, Jonathan someone's taken her again!" Jennifer sobbed

"Before we panic, let's just go over where she could possibly be, you checked the pool, guest house and the swing set,"

"Yes, Jonathan she's only two she can't get very far!" but they knew that wasn't true, she could move like lightening when she wanted to

Jonathan noticed Freeway by the bar and the fact the clock was missing ,"Darling, are you sure you looked everywhere?"

"Yes Why?"

"What happened with the clock?"

"What?" She turned around and noticed it was missing; she walked to the edge of the bar and noticed the moved chair and the smashed clock

"You don't think?" Jonathan asked smiling

"Give it a shot," She pressed the button and the wall separated, revealing their daughter asleep on the top of the staircase "Baby, wake up"

"Mama," Aubrey opened her eyes and started to cry, she was so relieved to see them

"Remind me to put some lights down there and an escape door," Jonathan commented as Jennifer carried Aubrey out.

"Baby, how did you get there?" Jennifer asked but Aubrey was sobbing too hard for them to understand and after that, she refused to go near the bar and couldn't explain why for several days afterwards she woke up screaming and refused to sleep without a light on.

Her transition to school was much better and she seemed to thrive, making friends quickly and loving being a leader to for them, so much so that the teachers had started calling her "Rizzo" because she and her band of Pink Ladies were envied by the other kids and because she had adjusted so well, Jennifer had decided to let one of her "Pink Ladies" sleep over

Aubrey and Lilly were excited to have a sleepover, they talked about what they wanted to watch for movies and to play games, along with some new costumes Jennifer had gotten at a children's store, everything from Princess gear to African Safari to all sorts of Feather boas and tiaras made up with the girls names, she was just as excited about this as they were.

The downside was that Jonathan was going to be in Chicago during the sleepover and couldn't help out, thank god for Jessica otherwise she would have had to disappoint the girls and move it to when Jonathan was home

After getting the girls settled in front of the Little Mermaid, and the boys in their playpen, Jennifer and Jessica were discussing about getting some things at the grocery store, breakfast foods and some junk food because between shuttling Aubrey back and forth and taking care of the boys, she hadn't had time to go to the grocery store and they were running out of everything.

"Do you want me to go?" Jessica offered

"Are you sure because I can go and you can stay with the troops?" Jennifer asked leaning against the counter, writing out a list

"Sure, besides I have to get a few personal items I forgot and I can get the Pizzas on my way back,"Jessica said

"All right, that's a good plan," Jennifer handed her the list, "If I forgot anything, just buy it and I'll pay you back and Hurry four kids and one adult is pure suicide" she laughed

"Don't worry, I'll be quick like a bunny," Jessica smiled and left

Jennifer went to order the pizzas when the phone rang,"Hello, Hart residence"

"Hi Darling!" Jonathan said calling from his hotel room,

"Hi Babe, how is your trip?"

"It's going great but I miss you and the kids!"

"We miss you too,"

"How's the sleepover going?"

"Well, so far we've had a fashion show, had a makeup disaster, one fight over Barbie dolls and now their watching a movie,"

"Jam packed night huh?"

"Oh yeah, my goal is to get everyone in bed by 9,"

"Do you really think that's going to happen?"

"No But it's nice to dream" She laughed and suddenly felt something strike her in the back of the head, she let out a gasp and hit the floor, the phone crashing beside her

"Jennifer, Darling, JENNIFER?" He yelled into the phone

"Tick Tock," a strange voice said "Time's up" then the phone went dead


	10. Beating

The first, second third and fourth blow to the head Jennifer received, disoriented her but not enough that she wasn't aware of what was happening and wondering why, as well as who could possibly be doing this but because the blows to her head were coming from behind and her assailant was silent she didn't know what to do. Her thoughts turned from the pain in her head to the fact her babies were upstairs and in harm's way.

The blows to her head suddenly stopped and she was dragged by her hair onto the kitchen chair and felt her arms jerk around the back of it and a clicking noise like handcuff. It was almost like an out of body experience and she was watching it from across the room.

Then the blows started again, over and over again like it was on a loop that would never end.

Again they stopped and her assailant came around the kitchen chair and got right in her face

"Where are they?" Jillian spit in Jennifer's face

"Who?" Jennifer asked dazed

Jillian slapped her across the face backhanded "Where are they?"

"Someplace you'll never find them!" Jennifer blinked back tears

"Tell me or I swear I'll make sure your husband won't ever find you attractive again!"

"I'm not afraid to DIE!"

And suddenly she felt pain go across her outstretch knee cap, Jillian had taken a fire poker and smash it against her knee, Jennifer screamed out in agony but refused to tell where the kids were.

"Tell me!" Jillian screamed again yanking Jennifer's hair

When she refused to speak again, Jillian hit Jennifer's broken knee cap again and took satisfaction in her agony.

After a few more minutes of refusals, Jillian decided to simply go through the house and search for the kids. She'd simply put them in her car, finish her task and walk away as if nothing had happened. Jonathan was young enough to reproduce with another woman, someone who had much better class and grace.

But what she didn't count on was Aubrey's instincts and smarts, as soon as Jennifer had started screaming in agony, she'd walked down the backstairs of the kitchen to look for her Mama and witnessed her strong Mama being slapped over and over by the strange woman who seemed familiar but Aubrey wasn't too sure.

The stranger woman kicked at her Mama one more time before leaving the kitchen and Jennifer tried to get up from the chair but her broken knee made it impossible and she ended up tipping sideways and landing on her side, exhausted, she wondered if she could make it back to the phone and dial for help.

Aubrey peeked out from the side door and when the coast was clear, she ran to her Mama

"Mama," She whispered, now was the time for the indoor voice Daddy was always talking about

"Aubrey.."Jennifer was surprised and terrified to find her in the kitchen, being a witness to this mess

"Mama gots a boo-boo?" Aubrey put her head to the side in curiosity

"Lots of Boo Boos but I need you to be a big girl Okay?" She was about to depend on her two year old more than she had ever imagined but if it meant saving the boys and Aubrey, that's all that mattered

"I Mama and Daddy's Big Girl!" Aubrey smiled proudly

"Yes and Being Mama and Daddy's big Girl means protecting your brothers so I need you to take the boys and Lily and go behind the bar, remember how you hit the button and the wall came apart?" Jennifer was speaking frantically and she knew that this was too much for an adult let alone a child but she knew Aubrey was capable of this or at least she hoped.

"Yes," Aubrey's face showed that she understood the seriousness of the situation "But Mama, you gots a boo boo, who gonna help you with that?"

"I'll be fine Baby" Jennifer was touched that her Daughter concern was for her but she needed Aubrey to listen and do exactly as she said.

Aubrey kissed her mother's nose, unaware that it was broken and walked back out to the main stair case behind the kitchen just as Jillian came back in

"I found one of them, But not the boys, who is that?" Jillian demanded

"Who are you?" Jennifer demanded ignoring Jillian's question

"You don't remember? Oh that's right, you were too busy shacking up with your Millionaire to realize that you destroyed the most wonderful man in the world."

"Oh my god, Elliot? You were his concubine in Africa?" Jennifer sucked in her breath "And that means."

"Mary was my sister and she died because of you!" Jillian pulled a hammer from behind her back and slammed the handle against Jennifer's knuckles, instantly breaking them.

"I didn't kill her! Assad did!" Jennifer screamed

"Because you couldn't keep your whoring legs shut! You just couldn't let things go, allow Elliot and I to raise the baby, you had to pry!"

"She's my daughter, not yours!" Jennifer cried "You have no rights to her!"

"I will once your dead!" and with that Jillian took her high heeled boot and kicked Jennifer in the ribs

_Back in Chicago_

Jonathan was frantic, Jennifer had been on the phone with him when suddenly she screamed and the voice came on the line, that strange unfamiliar voice and now the phone wasn't working, he kept getting a busy signal and it only worried him more, about her and the kids.

He knew he might be overreacting but he decided that he was better safe than sorry, he dialed 911 in Los Angeles and explained that his wife was home along with four small children and that he'd heard her scream and was wondering if someone could do a wellbeing check, the police officer agreed and would call him back if something was amiss or even if it was small like she'd just tripped over freeway and the phone signal was crossed.

But he found he couldn't wait anymore and immediately called for his pilots, something was amiss and he needed to get home now.

Time was of the essence.

_Willow Pond _

Aubrey was nervous, she'd never handled the babies on her own and now with every scream of her Mama, she knew that this wasn't the time to fool around, she ran to the Media room where Lilly was watching Finding Nemo

"Come on," Aubrey tugged on Lily's arm,

"Where are we going?" Lily asked, maybe Aubrey's Mommy was making dessert

"We gots to go, my Mama is in trouble," Aubrey said walking out to the nursery, dragging Lily behind her

"Where are we going?" Lily asked again

"We gots to help my Mama," Aubrey said opening the nursery door and realized that she was too small to reach in and take the boys out. Thank goodness though Mama had put them in the same crib and it was light enough for her and Lily to push it, how they would get it down the stairs was the main question and without making a racket.

"Aubrey, I don't think we should do this," Lily said fearfully

"It's okay, Mama said so," Aubrey began pushing the crib with Lilly trailing behind her, they made it half way down the hallway when Jennifer began screaming in agony again

"What's wrong with your Mommy," Lily asked

Aubrey wasn't too sure herself so she just shrugged and continued pushing the crib until she got to the top off the stairs, thank god Mama had left the baby gate open

"How are we going to get downstairs?" Lily asked

"Hmm," Aubrey thought for a minute, swung her leg back and kick the crib hard sending it careening down the stairs startling both boys who began screaming hysterical and bouncing with each step, Amazingly, they managed to stay inside

The crib skidded down the stairs, across the room stopping in front of the bar which was exactly where Aubrey wanted it to land, somehow that strange lady that was hurting her Mama didn't come out to find out what the commotion was.

"Come on, "Aubrey walked down the stairs only to find Lily starting to cry "What's wrong?"

"Aubrey,I want my mommy"

Aubrey puffed out her chest in exasperation and took Lily's hand leading her down the stairs, "Shh!" the screams of her Mama in pain were getting louder and it was making her even more nervous

They crept quietly until they reached the bar area and Aubrey realized that she didn't know where the button was, the last time she had opened the passageway behind the bar was with her ball

"Can you see the button," Aubrey asked, her eyes searching the length of the bar

"No," Lily said quietly black glasses becoming wet with tears

"Stop crying!" Aubrey ordered her little friend "Look for the button!"

Aubrey continued looking for the button and realized that the last time she'd opened it was when she hit the clock, it was amazing what her two year old memory was able to recall.

"Hit the Clock," She ordered Lily

"What?" Lily was confused between the screaming Babies and Mrs. Hart screaming, it was completely overwhelming

"The button is behind the clock and I can't reach,"

"I'll Lift you up and you can reach it," for a near 4 year old Lily was significantly taller than Aubrey and was able to maneuver Aubrey so she could climb up, which Aubrey did easily but when the wall separated from the bar, Aubrey wasn't prepared for that and nearly fell off

"Take my brothers down," Aubrey said holding onto the wall for dear life, Lily at this point was nothing more than Aubrey's bitch, pulled the crib through the separated wall and repeated Aubrey's past motion of kicking the crib down the stairs and followed behind it. Aubrey realized she couldn't get down from, instead of screaming for help she hit the button behind the clock and the wall meshed together again, leaving Lily alone with the babies. Aubrey decided that she would simply go help her Mama, took a deep breath and jumped from the top of the bar to the floor, knocking the wind out of herself but summing her courage, she walked into the kitchen to find her mother on the floor, bleeding heavily from her head and not moving.

"Oh no, Mama!" Aubrey ran across the kitchen and was halfway across when she felt a hand grab her across the stomach and pull her into the air like Daddy did when he was playing airplane with her except that was fun and this wasn't

"Just where do you think you're going?" The voice coldly asked her

"To help my Mama," She said in a small voice

"You have no Mama, I'm your Mommy now" the stranger put her on the counter and looked into Aubrey's eyes

"Please can I see my mama," She let a tear fall from her eye

"I said No! Don't you listen you little brat?" The woman yelled "Your mother is dead, YOU KILLED HER!"

Aubrey gasped, no one had ever been that harsh with her and she didn't like it at all and so she began to scream hoping maybe that would wake her Mama up and she could rescue Aubrey but the woman put her hand over Aubrey's mouth to muffle her.

Aubrey hated that more than anything and so she did what came naturally to two year olds, she bit the stranger's hand, hard.

Enough to Draw Blood

"Ow!, you little bastard!" the woman screamed and turned around to the sink to run her hand under the cold water, giving Aubrey a chance to scoot across the counter and she jumped down to where her Mama was but Jennifer was too heavy for Aubrey to push out the door so she gave one last longing look at Jennifer and ran out the kitchen door to the yard. It was dark and she wasn't sure where she was headed but she knew she had to get away quickly to find help.

It seemed like Aubrey ran for a long time and she wasn't sure if she was simply going in circles or making actual progress, she'd reach one end of the yard and realize she couldn't get out and attempt another way to escape

Suddenly there was noises and flashing blue and red lights, it made Aubrey even more scared which she didn't think was possible but it lit up the back yard enough to see that she was almost to the tree Daddy was building for her and the boys. She pushed her tiny body even harder and ran as fast as her little legs would carry her, not realizing that she was barefoot and cutting her feet up in the progress.

Back in the House, Jillian realized that Aubrey had gotten away and was about to yell for her when she noticed the flashing lights as well, and commotion outside.

"Damn it!" She didn't realize how the cops got there or why but she wasn't about to go to prison for something that bitch deserved so she grabbed a butcher knife off the counter, took a deep breath and plunged it into her chest, not deep enough to cause major damage but enough to draw blood and began to scream hysterically.

Just as the police burst in

"Help me!" Jillian screamed

"What's going on here?" One Cop demanded to know seeing all the blood and Jennifer lying on the floor

"She attacked Me!" Jillian screamed

The police officer knew immediately that Jillian was lying because the position of her injury immediately showed that it was self inflicted but pretended that he was going along with her story, calming her down and assuring her that Jennifer was indeed in the wrong, that Jennifer had brutally attacked her and it was self defense

By the time the EMT workers arrived, Jillian was satisfied that Jennifer was dead and allowed the EMT workers to lead her out to the ambulance to attend to her wound. As soon as she was gone, the other EMT workers began working on Jennifer, who had lost so much blood and had so many injuries they didn't know where to begin to fix her wounds, they put a neck brace, set her leg and moved her onto the gurney quickly.

Never realizing four small children were missing until Jessica came home to find the house crawling with police and the fire department

"Oh my god What's happened?" Jessica asked, the front of the house corned off with police tape

"Some Rich Broad was nearly beaten to death," a cop with a cavalier attitude said stopping her from crossing the tape

"Mrs. Hart!" Jessica gasped "Are the kids alright?"

"What kids?" the cop's attitude suddenly changed

"There were four small children in the house!" Jessica was becoming frantic, "Two toddlers and two infants!"

The police officer radioed to the rest of the officers, asking if anyone came across the kids and received a definitive no

"Please, you have to let me!" Jessica begged

"I'm sorry, I can't until the crime scene has been processed,"

"But that could be for hours, please, I'm their Nanny and their father is in Chicago"

"I'm sorry Madame," the police officer did look genuinely apologetic but that didn't matter, all Jessica was concerned was Mrs. Hart and those Kids.

Jonathan was in the air when the message came through that Jennifer had beaten nearly to death and the kids were missing, he wondered if this was the end of his family, that the person who'd been stalking them for months had finally succeeded and he wondered if life as he knew it was over.

If only he'd stayed home.


	11. Aftermath Crossing over

The Hospital Emergency room was unusually quiet for a weekday except for a few minor injuries and some incoming patients from a vehicle accident so the nurses and doctors were surprised When Jonathan ran into the emergency room looking for Jennifer

"Can I help you?" a bored nurse asked at the front desk

"I'm looking for my wife!" He yelled frantically

"What's her name and injury?"

"Jennifer Hart, She was attacked!"

The nurse checked the computer, "I'm sorry there's no one here with that name, Maybe a different hospital?"

Jonathan wondered if she was right and started to walk away from the desk when an ambulance screeched up and skidded to a stop suddenly in front of the emergency room, three EMT workers jumped and opened the back of the rig while a fourth person was pumping a blue oxygen bulb into the person on the gurney's mouth, it was difficult to see who was in the ambulance but the person had long red hair and a very distinctive familiar shape to the person's face. He'd know it anywhere. But there was no time to run to her.

The EMTs were moving at a fast pace calling out information to one another "We have a 35 year old female with numerous cuts, contusions and fractures as well as a traumatic head injury, there may also be a stab or two we aren't sure,"

Suddenly Doctors came rushing in, calling orders for IVs, EKGs and bandages, Jonathan didn't even have time to respond or even get a good look at her once beautiful face, there was too much chaos around her. All he saw was her eyes slammed shut and her lips in align

He stood there absolute silence, it was as if everyone around him was moving a thousand miles an hour and he was completely paralyzed.

It was only the sound of his cell phone buzzing that snapped shook him of his stunned silence, opening the phone he saw it was Jessica, maybe they had found the kids unharmed

"Hello?" His voice cracked

"Mr. Hart?" Jessica yelled over the noises of the police cars and overhead helicopters " ?

"Yes, Jessica" He yelled loudly

"We still haven't found the children and Reeve Collins has just arrived," Lily's Mother, she must have been frantic.

"I'll be right there," Jonathan knew that's what Jennifer would have wanted, she was being taken care of and he needed to step up and be the father he was.

Willow Pond was normally a quiet street, with a dirt road that led to a cul de sac and not much else, he barely knew his neighbors which was fine because he was content on focusing on Jennifer and the kids and make their lives wonderful without distraction from nosy neighbors but his arrival at Willow Pond was met with total chaos, Police, Fire department, US Marshalls and the Feds were surrounding the house.

He was barely able to get through the gate when an Officer stopped him

"I'm sorry Sir,you won't be able to enter,"

Jonathan produced his driver's license and the Officer gave him a sad look before letting him through and he pulled to just before the house where Jessica was staring somberly at the house, a sense of a déjà vu came over him when the Kitchen burned down

"Jessica," He touched her shoulder and she jumped a mile before she threw her arms around him and cried in franticness

"Oh Mr. Hart, I can't believe this happened! I only left the house for a moment and now ..the children are missing and Mrs. Hart is injured, this is my fault!"

"We can't think like that, we need to focus on finding the kids, did they search the entire house?"

"They started from the top and worked their way to the wine cellar, what if they were kidnapped!"

"We can't think like that, let's just try to retrace their steps," he took her hand and led her to the front of the house where the house was being photographed and finger printed

"Hold it," Another Police Officer stopped him, "You can't enter here, this is a crime scene,"

"My name is Jonathan Hart, and this is my home," Jonathan snapped

"I'm sorry Mr. Hart, but I can't allow anyone into the home until we've finished processing the scene,"

"Where are you processing?" Jessica asked

"Mainly the kitchen,"

"What if we looked around upstairs away from the kitchen?" Jonathan suggested

"Alright," the police officer relented "but please be aware, not to touch anything,"

They nodded and headed upstairs, past Jonathan and Jennifer's bed, his heart broke thinking that it was just a few days ago he made love to her in the middle of the night, how her eyes glowed in the moon light and how much his desire for her had heightened despite three little ones who constantly demanded her attention. But when they went down for the night, it was their time and he was grateful at that moment for that memory.

They continued on to the bedrooms, Aubrey's was first, thinking maybe in the chaos she'd hid with the other kids in the closet, He wanted to laugh remembering how she'd dragged Lucas's carrier into the closet and shut the door and when Jennifer went to nurse the boys and found him missing, She'd screamed in fright and ran to call him at the Office, convinced that Elliot had returned and instead of scooping up all three kids, he was now after their oldest boy and then he would come back for Andrew, When Jonathan had raced home, He found her at top of the stairs with tears streaming down her face and When He'd asked her about the other kids, she'd said that the Aubrey was with Pearl at the Zoo and Andrew was asleep, she said she waited for him to come home to call the police because she needed him to take the lead on this. He was just making the decision to call the police when a loud wail was echoed through the house, which made it sound like the wailing was coming from the walls and using her mother's intuition, she followed the noise until she reached Aubrey's closet, throwing open the door, there was Lucas, his tiny face red and angry. Jennifer had cried with relief and anger, refusing to put him down for hours until her arms ached and when Aubrey came home with Pearl, she told them that she was playing and simply forgot he was there.

Jonathan threw open the doors but there was nothing, he heaved a sigh of disappointment and picked up Simba off the floor, who'd been once again tossed aside during naptime. Jessica had bypassed Aubrey's room and gone onto the boys room. Jonathan heard Jessica gasp and ran into their room to find the crib missing

"Oh my god, whoever took them, also took the crib?" Jessica pointed out, questioningly..

"It doesn't make sense, none of this any of this makes sense," Jonathan was exhausted, physically and emotionally

Jessica suddenly stopped in her tracks listening intently "Mr. Hart, listen!"

"What?" He couldn't hear anything then again He couldn't really concentrate on anything except Jennifer and his need to get back to the hospital

"It sounds like the walls are crying" She crinkled her forehead

His ears perked up and he realized it wasn't the walls, it was coming from the vent beside Andrew's crib that lead down to the basement

He pressed his ear to the vent and pulled his head back to speak "Hello?"

"Hello?" a little voice whimpered back

"Lily!" Jessica gasped

"Come on!" He grabbed her arm and dragged her down the stairs behind him, past the police who looked on in wonder

"What's happened?" the officer who'd opened the door for them demanded

"I think we found the kids!" Jessica said over the commotion

Jonathan went around the bar and noticed that it was in disarray, a few glasses were broken and the clock had been moved aside, he shook his head and pushed the button, stepping back to allow the walls to separate and immediately spotting the crib, Lucas was screaming while Andrew was laying on his back quietly, Lily just beyond the crib sitting on the steps with her hands over her ears and singing Itsy Bitsy Spider to herself

"Lily?" Jonathan asked quietly noticing Aubrey wasn't with them and his urgency heightened again

"Who are?" She asked tears streaming down her face and glasses on the floor beside her

"I'm Aubrey's Daddy, Is she down here?" Asking maybe she'd ventured down the passageway to figure a way out but it was too dark for her to walk that far

"No," Lily whimpered "I want my mommy"

"Of course, take my hand," He held out his hand and helped her up, picking up her glasses so she wouldn't step on them and brought her outside, leaving Jessica to take the boys, he'd come back to help her

"Mommy!" Lily shouted

"Oh my baby!" Reeve shouted back breaking through the police tape and scooping her up "I'm so happy to see you"

"I'm very sorry this happened," Jonathan felt he should apologize, She was in their care and someone had been reckless

Reeve simply nodded and left, she knew now was not the time to place blame, as long as her daughter was alive, that's what was most important.

Jonathan walked back into the house and one of the police officers helped carry the crib out of the passageway and into the living room

"We still need to find Aubrey," He said picking up Andrew and kissing his head, sending up a thanks heavens for finding them and that they were safe "Did anyone check the backyard?"

"Yes, and we found some muddy footprints small enough to be a child's but then they abruptly stopped," a police officer spoke up

"Where?" Jonathan asked

"Come, I'll show you," The officer took Jonathan who was still carrying Andrew through the side doors of the house, the doors that lead to the garden and pointed to them, the sprinklers must have come on when Aubrey was running and it created mud that allowed footprints, they followed the footprints to the other side of the yard but they abruptly did stop at the edge of the yard

Jonathan knew that if she was panicked enough, she hide no matter how hard he yelled her name and he knew the only thing that would make her come out was to sing her mother's favorite song, it was like a code for them

The song that she'd sung for the boys when they were in the hospital

"_Let me call you "Sweetheart," I'm in love with you._

_Let me hear you whisper that you love me too._

_Keep the love-light glowing in your eyes so true._

_Let me call you "Sweetheart," I'm in love with you."_

Aubrey heard him singing and she knew that only one other person could know that song

"Daddy!" She yelled from the tree house, she was exhausted, and wet from the sprinklers, all she wanted was her mommy to hug her and tell her that the whole thing was a nightmare, to shake her and tell her it was time for breakfast

"In the Treehouse," Jonathan said handing Andrew to the Police Officer and climbed up, when he managed to squeeze in the tight space, Aubrey threw her arms around his neck and began to cry

"I know, Baby, it was so scary," He whispered, "But it's all right, Daddy's here," he hugged her and kissed her face, knowing this could be the beginning of a long road of trouble for her in dealing with this.

He let her cry for a few minutes longer before convincing her that she needed to come down before she caught a cold in her wet clothes

He carried her into the house and upstairs to change her clothes and a quick bath, noticing the bruises and cuts , he realized after her initial "Daddy!" she stopped speaking and even looking him in the eye, he was going to ask her a few questions but figured it was best not to push it at the moment

Just as his cell phone rang

"Hello, Jonathan Hart" He said never taking his eyes off his daughter

"Hello, Mr. Hart, This is One of the Nurses on your wife's team and we think it's best if you come back to the hospital," The nurse said quietly, there was a chance she might die without having her husband present and He had a few decisions he needed to make for her as well

"I'll be there," He said ," Come on Aubrey, we need to go see about Mama," at the sound of her Mama's name, Aubrey's eyes filled with tears again

"I know Baby, but I promise it'll be quick quick," He was lying but he had to go back and there was no chance of leaving her with Jessica and the boys in a house full of cops who were processing the crime scene

He picked her up and she rested her head against his shoulders, knowing for the moment she was safe but for how long, was the question running through her mind

_Jennifer's subconscious _

_She felt like she was floating, that she weighed nothing and that nothing, not even gravity could pull her back and she had a feeling that there was nothing keeping from floating away and she liked the feeling, almost like being in a bubble bath _

_She felt no pain and that everything, all the blows to her body hadn't happened , that it was a mistake and that maybe she was being taken someplace wonderful in place of that awfulness._

"_Jenny?" a voice called, a familiar voice she hadn't heard in years and had longed to for so long _

"_Mama?," she asked her voice croaked_

"_Open your eyes, Darling child," _

_Jennifer didn't realize her eyes were closed so tightly, slowly she opened one eye and then the other to find that familiar face, her mother's round face with those beautiful brown eyes so similar to hers and her short red hair done in curls, she was wearing a white dress with a shawl and she looked the same as she did 30 years ago. _

"_Oh Mama," Jennifer sat up and hugged her mother tightly "I've missed you so much,"_

"_I've missed you too," Her mother even smelled the same, of ivory soap and Chanel #5, "Come, we've got all the time in the world to catch up," she pulled back and held out her hand_

_Jennifer looked around and realized that she was in a garden of some sort, with a beautiful lake and flowers everywhere "Am I dead, Mama" _

"_No, my darling, you're in limbo, it's up to you to back or continue on to Heaven," Her mother pulled her up and crinkled her nose "Come let's get you out of those clothes," _

_Jennifer looked down and realized she was wearing the same bloodstained sweater and jeans from her attack, she nodded slowly and followed her mother, feeling excited for her mother but sad for the pain she was putting Jonathan and the kids through _

_Her mother lead her to what looked like a small room at the edge of the lake and told her to change into a dress similar to hers, it seemed so weird that this place would have a dressing room but she knew now was not the time to ask questions. _

_She followed her mother after getting dressed to a bench, sitting beside her mother, she was anxious as if maybe her mother would just disappear like she did before_

"_How are you, little girl," her mother kissed her forehead _

"_So confused Mama , and I have so much I want to tell you and want to know,"_

"_In Time, but for now, tell me about your life, with Jonathan, my rascal granddaughter and the most beautiful baby boys ever," Sarah Edwards smiled _

"_You know about them?" Jennifer asked in amazement _

"_Oh Darling Girl, there is so little of your life I haven't been a part of, I was there when you graduated from College, When you met Jonathan, all the little moments and especially when Aubrey and the boys were born, I only wish I could have been there to prevent her from being taken," Sarah's face dropped "but she came back to you and she's doing beautifully, truly an angel" _

"_Oh Mama, why do awful things keep happening to us," Jennifer asked quietly _

"_To Show you that although life keeps getting in the way, things are meant to be and you'll learn from them, to understand how to be a better person, a better daughter, mother and wife all the things you were sure you were never going to be but are and are wonderful at, I'm so proud of you," _

_It was validation she'd long to hear for so long and exhaled the breath she didn't realize she was holding _

"_Mama, I don't want to leave my babies and Jonathan, I need them as much as they need me," _

"_I Know that but that's not what's keeping you from going back, something else is,"_

"_What's that?" _

"_Only you can answer that question, my girl," Sarah stood up and held out her hand again "Come, there's someone I think you need to meet"_

_Jennifer took her mother's hand and followed her across the lake, listening to the birds chirping and only when her mother stopped walking at the water's edge, did she understand why her mother wanted her to come meet this person _

_It was a little girl, with brown hair and brown eyes, a little round face wearing a sundress and playing in the sand, when the girl looked up, Jennifer saw that she was a smaller version of Aubrey, and she knew instantly that this was Aubrey's baby sister _

"_Mommy!" the little girl smiled and Jennifer's heart jumped three feet "I missed you," _

"_My baby" Jennifer whispered _

"_Soleil, come little one," Sarah called out _

"_Soleil?" _

"_With the Sun in the Morning and the Moon at Night," Sarah sang off key and Jennifer laughed, remembering how much her mother loved the play Annie Get Your Gun _

_Soleil run to her mother and wrapped her arms around her knees and when she smiled, Jennifer truly felt the sunshine radiate from her_

_But she felt so distant from this child, she couldn't understand why , it was unlike her not to fall instantly in love with one of her babies and It came to her like a bolt of lightening _

_Soleil wouldn't be crossing over into the world, she'd be going onto Heaven with Sarah and Jennifer began to cry _

"_Don't cry Mama, please," Soleil looked up and Jennifer smiled sadly, knowing this would be the only time this child would call her Mama , she wouldn't get to know how wonderfully her Daddy was and to grow up with her sister and brothers, it wasn't fair and Jennifer began to get angry_

"_Don't let your anger consume you," Sarah said as if reading her mind, "Things will work out, I promise,"_

"_How?" Jennifer hissed_

"_In Time," _

_Sarah sat down on a bench and Soleil instantly broke away from Jennifer and climbed onto Sarah's lap, whispering into her ear. Jennifer wanted to be in on this moment, to be a mother for a moment but she couldn't and it broke her heart again. _

"_Mrs. H?" a familiar voice called her _

"_Max?" She turned around and saw Max, her eyes filling with tears, this was too much and she wanted to go home_

"_How are you?" he smiled, he looked so healthy and vibrant _

"_So Sad Max, I've missed you so much!" She hugged him, "How are you?"_

"_Better than I've felt in years, I think this is what's best," _

"_What's that?" _

"_For me to come home and for you to go back," _

"_Home like Willow Pond?" She knew what he meant but couldn't believe it _

"_No, Darling He means home like crossing over, it's his time," Sarah told her quietly _

"_No Mama Please!" She begged Sarah _

"_I've had a great life and it's time, I'll miss you but it's time," _

"_No it's not, take my hand and we'll go back now," Jennifer extended her hand _

"_I'm sorry, you know how much l love you guys but it's time for you to get on with everything,"_

"_But you'll miss so much, especially with Pearl" Jennifer hung her head down and sobbed_

"_I'll always be with you all, and when the time comes, we'll be together again, having you kids is what kept me young for long, I'll especially miss my girl Aubrey, and Jonathan is a good man, he'll keep you strong, I've taught him that, Life is meant for living and I can't do that hooked to machines, it's better this way,"_

"_It will never be that way, you keep us together, We'll fall apart without you," _

"_No because you and Mr. H have something so rare, so beautiful that nothing could break you apart, my only wish is that Pearl and I had more time together.." _

"_So come back with me and you'll get more time with her," _

"_I can't, "He kissed her forehead _

"_Max, it's time .." Sarah interrupted quietly _

_He nodded _

"_You have to go back, it's not your time and you know it, this was a temporary situation and with Jonathan and the kids, it's where your meant to be but I promise I'll always be watching over all of you," He bent over and picked up Soleil "Ready Kiddo?"_

"_Ready Poppa" She smiled, Jennifer kissed her forehead and stepped back, know that the image of that child would be seared into her heart _

"_Before I go too, I need to tell you this, stop looking for questions and answers you already know otherwise you'll miss everything that's important, time is precious and before you know it, it's over, My Girl," Sarah whispered in her ear _

_Jennifer nodded, tears pouring down her face that she knew would never end _

_Sarah Nodded and took Max's free hand, together they walked in the direction of the horizon and Jennifer had to cover her eyes from the bright sun and soon they were gone _

_Jennifer realized that she was all alone at this lake now and no way to get back, she sat down on the bench to think, about everything that had just happened and everything that came before it. And whether or not she wanted to stay here or really go back. _

_All sorts of questions and no real answers. _


	12. In the Arms of The Angel

_Spend all your time waiting for that second chance  
>For the break that will make it ok<br>There's always some reason to feel not good enough  
>And it's hard at the end of the day<br>I need some distraction oh beautiful release  
>Memories seep from my veins<br>They may be empty and weightless and maybe  
>I'll find some peace tonight<em>

_In the arms of an Angel far away from here  
>From this dark, cold hotel room, and the endlessness that you fear<br>You are pulled from the wreckage of your silent reverie  
>You're in the arms of an Angel; may you find some comfort here<em>

"_Stop looking for questions and answers you already know otherwise you'll miss everything that's important, time is precious and before you know it, it's over..."_

_Jennifer heard the words over and over again and she knew her Mother was right. Time is precious, Jonathan and her babies are more precious. She couldn't give up three children who she had already delivered in to the world and who all needed her, to be with one child who wasn't going to be born on earth, and who would be well taken care of by her Grandparents until they were all reunited many years in to the future. She didn't know that little soul, hadn't even known of her existence, and as much as she and Jonathan would have loved her, they already had three little ones and they were all depending on her to be there for them. Aubrey, her head-strong smart and feisty firstborn whose start in life hadn't been good, Lucas, her beautiful, bright boy, and Andrew, her sweet tempered little fighter. They all needed her, and she needed them, she could never have looked down on them for the rest of their lives knowing that she should be there by their sides and that she'd made the choice not to be. _

_Jennifer knew then what she had to do, she had to go back, back in to her earthly body and fight to live. Stopping for a moment she put her hand flat on her abdomen, she'd had no idea she was pregnant, she couldn't have been any more than 5 weeks along and they certainly hadn't planned to have another baby. She felt so sad, and yet comforted by the knowledge that her Mother and Max would look after their Angel child... Oh my God, Max! _

_She suddenly realised that Max had gone with her Mother and Soleil which meant he must have died while all the drama with Jillian was going on, and she wondered if anybody had told Jonathan yet. He would be completely devastated, she couldn't leave him as well, he'd never cope with a double blow and he didn't deserve to go through two tragedies of such magnitude._

_With renewed strength Jennifer stood up from the bench and looked around her. It wasn't obvious which way she should go so she just headed in the opposite direction to where the others had gone, and after a few seconds it appeared that she was walking in to a tunnel. The beautiful scenery outside faded and everything became white, suddenly it felt like she had to run and within seconds Jennifer felt like she was flying. It only took a few moments before the white tunnel started to fade out again and she could see shapes and colours, then she was in an Emergency Room looking down on herself. Jennifer winced at the sight of her battered body but she knew she had to get back in to it and start fighting. "I'm sorry sweetie. I love you." She said softly to her unborn child before closing her eyes and allowing herself to be pulled downwards._

The medical staff were frantically trying to save Jennifer's life, her heart rate had dropped dramatically but they'd kept working on her and now had a steadier rhythm. They were working on the head injury and facial wounds and were setting up a CT scan and chest x-ray for as soon as she was stabilised. The duty Orthopaedic Surgeon was pretty sure that both Jennifer's nose and her cheekbone were fractured and he wanted to check for a skull fracture. The bruising already evident on her chest and stomach indicated she almost definitely had fractured ribs and possibly internal bleeding in her abdominal cavity. Working their way down her body they cut off her jeans to assess the damage to her legs and as they pulled the denim away from her body they saw the blood on the inside of her thighs.

"Ok guys we'll need an Ultrasound too, looks like she might have been pregnant but it's likely from the bleeding that she no longer is... The knee is a mess, the bone and cartilage feel like jelly so once it's x-rayed and we see the extent of it we'll need to go in and work on making sure we can save her leg."

"Can you believe one woman did this to another?" One of the nurses spoke to her colleague. The other woman shook her head, disgusted, especially by the thought that the patient had probably had a miscarriage as well as the other injuries.

"Is her husband here yet?" The surgeon called out.

"I'll go and check." The second nurse said, removing her surgical gloves and heading out to Reception.

She was speaking to the woman at the desk, explaining that she should contact the ER as soon as Jonathan Hart got back because they'd need him to sign some forms. All Jonathan heard as he came round the corner clutching Aubrey by the hand were the words "next of kin..." and he felt his legs buckle.

"I'm Jonathan Hart..."

"Mr Hart we've been waiting for you." The nurse looked at him then down at the bewildered looking little girl who was wearing blood stained clothes and had obviously been sobbing as her little body was shaking. "Is the little girl hurt?" The nurse asked alarmed.

"No, I don't think so..." Jonathan said absently, still hearing the words "next of kin" echoing through his mind. He looked down at his daughter and she in turn looked at her clothes.

"Mama's boo boos bleed" She said and started crying again. The nurse quickly realised that the poor little thing was covered in her Mother's blood and was traumatised by what she'd witnessed. She looked to be about two and a half or three years old and she was holding tightly to her Daddy but he needed to go and speak with Doctors and that was no conversation for a child to be part of.

"Mr Hart, the Doctor needs to speak with you to explain what's happening with your wife. They've just finished the scans and x-rays so he'll be with you in a moment. Your little girl needs to be cleaned up and checked over and I don't think she should be there when you speak to the Doctor."

"Okay, but where are you taking her?" Jonathan knew Aubrey was likely to kick off and he didn't want her far from him.

"Just in to one of the assessment rooms down the corridor. I'll stay with her, get her cleaned up and checked for any minor injuries. Once you've spoken with the Doctor you can come and get her."

"Okay, thank you."

"I'll let the Doctor know you're here then I'll be right back to get...?"

"Aubrey." Jonathan said looking down at their baby girl. He knew she had to be in shock, she was too quiet and as much as he wanted to keep her where he could see her, he knew she shouldn't be party to the conversation about Jennifer's injuries. He didn't know how she was going to react when the nurse took her so he knelt in front of her and hugged her to him. "You go with the nurse sweetie and please be a good girl. Daddy needs to see about Mama and then I'll come and get you."

Aubrey nodded silently, the tears still on her cheeks and Jonathan dropped a kiss on her head before standing up as the nurse came back followed by a Doctor wearing Theatre scrubs.

Jonathan gave Aubrey's hand a little squeeze before placing it in the outstretched one of the nurse who took it and led Aubrey away down the corridor. She looked back over her shoulder to her Daddy but didn't say anything.

Jonathan quickly turned his attention to the man in front of him and took a deep breath as the Doctor began to talk.

He listed all of Jennifer's injuries and with each one Jonathan felt a pain in his chest but he fought to remain composed. He tried to take them all in – a fractured nose and right cheekbone, lacerations on her forehead and all over her head, she had a linear skull fracture which the doctor explained was the least serious fracture of the skull and would heal by itself. Unfortunately there appeared to be some swelling in her brain caused by one of the blows she'd received, which the Doctor explained was cause for concern but would be monitored during the surgery that Jennifer would need, and as long as it didn't worsen dramatically they'd leave it to reduce on its own. It sounded like her whole body had been beaten. She had 3 broken ribs and one of them needed surgery to prevent it puncturing her lung. When the Doctor explained about her knee Jonathan felt his blood run cold. The damage was such that she would need an artificial knee because the cartilage and knee cap were damaged beyond repair, but he added that he was very hopeful they'd be able to save her leg. Just when Jonathan thought they'd come to the end of the list of injuries the Doctor paused a moment and looked at him.

"I'm sorry Mr Hart but the abdominal trauma caused your wife to lose the baby. We did an Ultrasound and there was no Foetus so we'll do a D&C to make sure there's no risk of an infection on top of everything else her body has to fight."

"Jennifer was pregnant?" He asked quietly as tears filled his eyes.

"Yes. You didn't know?"

"No... I don't think she did either, our twins are just 5 months old."

"Judging by what we saw on the scan she probably would have been 5 or 6 weeks pregnant."

Jonathan wiped his eyes and took another deep breath. "What happens now?"

"We'll get you to sign the consent forms and we'll get your wife in to surgery immediately. We need to set her broken nose, fix the rib that could puncture her lung and then work on her knee. The scan doesn't show any bleeding in the abdominal cavity or in the chest cavity so that's very positive. As long as the pressure on her brain doesn't increase and her vitals are ok then the surgery should take about 3 to 4 hours."

"Okay." Jonathan nodded as they walked back to the desk. The Receptionist handed the Doctor a clipboard and he led Jonathan to a couple of nearby chairs. They sat down and Jonathan listened as he read through the forms before handing the clipboard to him along with a pen. Jonathan tried to read the forms, he would never have signed any paperwork without reading and re-reading it, but his eyes were full of tears again and he scanned the first one before signing at the bottom. Turning the page he made eye contact with the man sitting next to him. "She's my whole life..."

"I know that Mr Hart."

"What about after the surgery, how quickly will she recover from the physical injuries?"

"It's different for everyone, but she's a young fit woman with a family to fight to get better for so I'm sure that will be in her favour."

"I'm entrusting you with one of the most precious gifts I've ever had." Jonathan said as he signed the second form after little more than a cursory glance at it. Standing up Jonathan put his hand out and the Doctor shook it.

"I'll see you when I've done my job and repaired your wife's injuries."

Jonathan watched as the younger man headed back towards the ER but before he got there he turned and looked back at Jonathan.

"Would you like to see your wife before we go to the Operating Room?"

Jonathan thought for a moment, all he'd seen when the medics rushed in was that her eyes were closed. What if he never saw her beautiful whisky coloured eyes again...

"Mr Hart... we don't have much time."

Jonathan followed the Doctor and as they stepped through the doors of the ER he stopped, frozen to the spot. There were at least 8 people in the room with Jennifer but everything seemed calmer than he'd expected. He could hear the bleeping of a monitor and he tried to block the machinery out as he approached the gurney. Forcing himself to look at her Jonathan felt like somebody was standing on his chest and he fought to regain his composure but it was impossible, the tears ran down his cheeks and he couldn't stop them. His beautiful vibrant Jennifer looked so frail and there didn't seem to be a part of her that wasn't a contusion or laceration. Realising he only had a minute Jonathan leant down and gently kissed her left cheek, pausing to whisper in her ear that he loved her. Looking at her left hand Jonathan lifted it in his and softly kissed her fingers before removing her wedding band.

"I'll put it back on when I see you again later." He said before gently placing her hand back down and stepping back so the orderlies could get in to take her to Theatre. He stood watching as they took her away, and was staring at the door when the nurse handed him a bag with Jennifer's jewellery in it.

"I'll take you to the Family Room Mr Hart, it's more comfortable there."

"Thank you, but I need to find my daughter, she went with the other nurse to get checked over."

"Maybe you should take a minute to freshen up before you go and see her." She suggested, smiling kindly at him. "I'll show you to the Family Room then wait until you're ready."

Looking in the mirror a couple of minutes later Jonathan had to admit the nurse had been right about getting himself together before seeing Aubrey. He looked almost as bad as he felt but he knew Jennifer would expect him to be strong in front of their little girl. Aubrey, who was no stranger to seeing traumatic things in her short life, had just witnessed something horrific and he didn't know how he was going to deal with the aftermath. He'd need Jennifer to help him, to tell him what to do and say. As long as Jennifer was ok, they'd all be fine.

A few minutes later the nurse who'd waited for him took him to see Aubrey and as he walked in to the room and saw her curled up in the foetal position, thumb in her mouth, in the middle of the hospital bed his heart went out to her. She no longer looked like the fiery, dynamic, mini tornado he was used to. She looked so small and she didn't say anything, she just looked at him.

"Apart from some minor cuts on her feet Aubrey isn't injured. I've cleaned and dressed them and put some clean socks on her. I changed her clothes and gave her a wash and she's had a drink of milk and a cookie." The nurse who'd stayed with Aubrey explained.

"Thank you for taking care of her" Jonathan said, not moving his gaze from his little girl. She continued to look at him in silence and after a moment Jonathan approached the bed, kicked his shoes off and then lay down on the bed facing her, taking her in his arms he felt her head against his chest and he held on to her and rocked her gently.

He didn't hear the two nurses leave and he didn't move until he knew that Aubrey was sound asleep. Lifting his hand slowly out from under her he looked at his watch and saw that 40 minutes had passed since Jennifer went into Surgery. He knew there were things he should be doing, people he should be talking to, but he couldn't face it so he lay with Aubrey and let his mind wander back over the time he'd had Jennifer in his life.

He knew without a doubt that her love for him had made him the man he was today and he also knew without a doubt that he'd never be able to live without her. Then he prayed to God that he wouldn't have to.

In spite of his efforts not to, Jonathan dozed off too and he had the same dream that he'd had when the twins were in hospital. Aubrey was 15, Lucas and Andrew were 13 and they had another daughter, Katie, who had been born when the boys were 5. The children were so clear to him. Then there was their beautiful Mama walking towards him and smiling. She had no trace of a limp and her face was as perfect as it had always been. Jennifer was going to fully recover and in five years they'd welcome another child in to their family. Even in his sleep Jonathan felt like a weight had been lifted from him.

After what seemed like a short nap, he was awoken by voices in the hallway

"Mrs. Brenneman, We need to wait for the doctor and then you can make arrangements,"

"I have to call my son, I've been trying and gotten no answer, we can't make any arrangements until he gets here with my daughter in law" the familiar voce said, it sounded like she was crying

Jonathan made sure Aubrey was completely asleep before he pulled himself off the bed and walked to the door, pulling it open, He saw Pearl crying and a nurse attempting to comfort for her

"Pearlie?" He whispered

"Oh my god, Charlie!" She threw her arms around his neck and cried," You got my messages?

"What messages?" He realized he didn't have his cell phone on him, he must have left it in the front console of the car when he was racing to the hospital, he wasn't sure if he had strapped his daughter in properly in her car seat, his only thoughts were of Jennifer and getting to her as soon as possible.

"Charlie, He's gone!" She wailed

"Oh my god, Max.." His heart dropped to the floor and he was sure he would fall over if she wasn't hugging me so hard, "What happened?"

"He was breathing funny at home and wouldn't tell me what was wrong, I kept asking and asking and he kept putting me off until I went to take a shower, I went into the kitchen and found him on the floor with the phone in his hand, as If he were trying to dial for help," She stopped to take a breath and continued on, "I called for help and by the time we got here, he was gone, I'm so sorry Charlie,"

"Oh Mom," He felt the tears well up in his eyes, he was grateful that she was with Max when he passed and at that moment, it just felt so right calling her Mom

She wiped her nose and noticed that Jennifer wasn't with him, and if he didn't know about Max, what was he doing here?

"Where are Jenny and the Kids?"

"She had to go out of town and I'm here with Aubrey, the boys are at home," He couldn't go into details because he didn't know what exactly happened and his mind was still wrapped around the fact Max was gone

"What's wrong with Aubrey?" She became even more worried

"She uh fell and bumped her face, Where's Max now? Can I see him?" Jonathan didn't want to see him but he knew it would be better for him in the long run so he wouldn't live with regret over not saying goodbye

"I'll take you to see him, but what about Aubrey?"

"I'll watch her," the nurse who'd been comforting Pearl offered to

"If she wakes up, tell her I'll be right back," Jonathan nodded

They walked quietly together, each lost in their own grief, him over both Max and Jennifer, her over Max, she'd loved him so much and they'd only been together for a few short months, but in those short months he'd given her the only thing she'd been so missing since her daughter died.

A Family

They stood outside the room, not wanting to move or breathe knowing this moment would be harder than anything they'd ever have to deal with.

Jonathan opened the door and took in a deep breath, Max had aged so much over the past few months his face developing even more wrinkles and his once vibrant eyes had grown glossy and taken on a tired look and he had slowed down significantly, Once being able to keep up with Aubrey and play tickle monster, he was now more contended on sitting down and reading a book with her. Jonathan knew that this moment would have eventually come but not tonight and not when he needed Max the most.

He was laying on the gurney, his arms at his side and his face pointed up, there was no smile nothing that showed the happiness, just a sober look. Jonathan took one of his hands, it felt so cold and held it up to his face, wanting to remember every detail, the wrinkled hands that taught him poker and how he always wore a gold band on his hand, never explaining why but Jonathan knew it was from a past love. Jonathan just wanted one more time to hear that gruff voice call him "Kid" and to hear Him tell the boys all about their misadventures, even as young as they were they understood his words and would follow with expressive looks.

"Oh Max," Jonathan broke down and cried, harder than he had when the boys were born, when Aubrey was taken from them and When Jennifer had ran away from him. Max was his consistency even when he was boxing Jonathan's ears. "I need you, Max please don't do this to me, First Jennifer and now you. It's not fair!"

Jonathan sobbed for several minutes and when he thought of how to explain this to Aubrey, who'd witnessed the horrible beating of her mother and now this, she'd never bounce back. It was unbearable to an adult but for a child who'd witnessed so much. This could be the very thing that would send her over the edge completely.

He leaned into Max's ear and whispered through his tears, "Thank you for being my father, without you I wouldn't have any of this, I owe you my life, I love you," Jonathan had never spoken those words to Max before and he hated himself for it, he'd taken for granted Max's generosity and now it was too late.

Pearl came in after Jonathan and kissed Max's forehead, she pulled off her wedding band, the one he'd so lovingly placed on her finger and placed it on his finger, of his wedding band she'd placed on his hand. They clung to each other and cried.

They stood there until the orderlies wheeled him away to the morgue part of the hospital until arrangements could be made for his transport to a funeral home. Jonathan wanted to tell them to stop, that he had so much to say but not enough breath to get the words out.

They sat in the waiting room, forgetting about Aubrey and Jennifer, lost in their grief when Pearl realized that she would need to go back to Willow Pond to get Max's suit, she knew that he want to be buried in his best suit

"I need to go home, Can I have your house keys?" She didn't want to go back to their apartment just yet , their temporary home until they thought Max would be healthy enough to go back home

"You can't," Jonathan said his face buried in his hands

It was already starting, Jonathan was shutting her out

"Why?"

"Because the house is crawling with police,"

"What? Why?" Pearl was alarmed

"Jennifer was attacked, that's why we're here, I'm going to lose everything tonight, my father, my wife, the two most important people in my life and if this doesn't screw up my kid even more , then she's a bigger survivor than I thought,"

"What do you mean Jenny was attacked?" Pearl stood in front of him, "You lied to me?"

"I didn't lie, just bended the truth a little besides what does it matter?"

"Jonathan Charles Hart, I don't believe you! You can't fix everything and in this case, you need to get up, find out what's happened to your wife and take care of my granddaughter, I'll make the arrangements for Max,"

He knew she was right, he was constantly trying take care of everyone and he couldn't, he needed to delegate and this time, he was more than willing to allow Pearl to take the lead on this one

Jonathan stood up, kissed her forehead and went back to Aubrey, who'd woken up, realized she was all alone and began to cry even with the nurse in her room, in fact she became so hysterical the nurse had to sedate her so she could sleep a little bit but she still fought in her sleep, she was restless and even when her father picked her up and held her, she still fought him

"Baby, please it's Daddy" he begged her

She shook her head hard and began another exhausted round of crying, her face was becoming chapped and her eyes, raw from her rubbing them too hard.

"I know, Baby, it's been a scary night but Daddy's here I promise everything will be alright," he had to find some way reassure her before she made herself even sicker which she did, she threw up the remains of whatever Jennifer had fed her earlier but Jonathan didn't notice or even care, his concern was getting her to calm down.

She finally passed out in his arms and when the Doctor came in to give him an update on Jennifer, he couldn't move, she was like dead weight.

"Mr. Hart," The doctor said quietly "We have an update on your wife.."


	13. I grieve,you grieve,we all grieve

Nodding at the Doctor Jonathan slowly and gently moved round so that he could place Aubrey in the middle of the bed and stand up. He walked towards the open door and the Doctor followed him, Jonathan stopped when he thought they were far enough away not to wake Aubrey but close enough that he could see her. The feeling of someone standing on his chest was back and Jonathan realised it was panic so he fought for a deep breath before turning to face the Doctor.

"Please tell me that she's doing okay."

"Yes, she's doing okay Mr Hart." The younger man gave a slight smile before continuing. "Your wife's nose was re-set and her cheekbone put back in to place, fortunately the eye socket wasn't damaged which kept the surgery on her face to a minimum, she may want to see a plastic surgeon once her face is fully healed but the incision to fix her cheekbone shouldn't leave much of a scar. She had a small pneumothorax but we've re-inflated the lung and because your wife will be completely immobilised for a few days there shouldn't be a recurrence. She has a lot of heavy bruising but her organs are all fine. We did the D & C and she'll need a follow up Ultrasound but hopefully there's no permanent damage." Jonathan continued to listen, feeling a little more relieved that it seemed to have gone well, and the Doctor continued "Mrs Hart's knee was really smashed up, her patella was fractured in 8 places and there was a small fracture at the base of the femur but we've managed to wire and pin everything back together which if it heals as we hope will avoid a knee replacement. In total, it took over 10,000 stitches to close her up"

"That all sounds more positive than before. When will she be awake?"

"Not for a while Mr Hart, we need to keep her heavily sedated until the swelling around her brain decreases. At the moment that remains the most concerning of her injuries. We'll do another CT scan tomorrow morning but for now your wife will be moved to the Intensive Care Unit. I expect her to stay there for a few days then perhaps be moved to High Dependency if her progress is good."

"Can I see her?"

"You can come in for a few minutes when she's settled but no children are permitted so you'll need to leave your daughter with somebody."

"I don't want Aubrey seeing her Mother like that anyway, she's been traumatised enough!"

"I'll have a nurse sit in the room with her, hopefully she'll sleep until you get back, and at that point I think you should take her home. You both need to rest and your wife won't be awake until at least some time tomorrow, possibly longer."

"We have twin boys who're just five months old so I need to get home to them..."

"Okay, well give me a moment to get someone to sit with your daughter then I'll take you in to see your wife for a few minutes."

The Doctor walked away and Jonathan turned and went back into the room where Aubrey was still asleep. He looked down at her, noticing again how much she looked like her Mama when she was sleeping. Aubrey's blue eyes were his, but everything else about her was Jennifer. She had been through so much in her short life and she was going to have a difficult few months ahead as her Mama recovered and they adjusted to life without Poppa Max, but she was a resilient little soul and he knew she'd get through the tough times. He kept holding on to the images of his family that he'd seen in his dream, he knew it was the only way he'd get through the next few months and remain strong enough to look after them all.

A few minutes later the Doctor came back followed by a nurse and he motioned for Jonathan to come with him as the nurse took a seat in the room next to Aubrey's bed.

They went up in the elevator to the Intensive Care Unit and they stopped outside. The Doctor turned to Jonathan and told him what to expect.

"The machinery looks pretty scary if you haven't experienced it before."

"Our sons were in the NICU when they were born, one of them needed quite a bit of help in the first weeks so I know how necessary the machines are."

"Like I said, Mrs Hart has a lot of deep bruising, and that will look awful for at least a week but then it will fade. The surgery on her nose and cheek will mean that she'll probably have black eyes for a while too, she has a dressing on her nose and it will continue to bleed for a while so don't be alarmed by that, it's normal. Two fingers on her right hand are broken but we've strapped them together and they should mend well. She is bandaged around her ribs where we needed to make the incision to remove the bone fragment and re-inflate her lung, and her leg is in plaster from her thigh down. The plaster cast will stay on for a week and then we'll remove it to x-ray the knee, if it's healing well then we'll replace it with strapping so that your wife will be able to start moving and bending her knee."

Jonathan took the information in and mentally tried to prepare himself for what he was going to face. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and then opened them and followed the Doctor.

Jonathan didn't want to look at Jennifer, didn't want to see her like this, but he forced himself to. Like the nurses earlier he found it incredible that one woman could have done this to another and he was glad that animal was in Police custody now. Moving to stand next to Jennifer's bed he reached down and gently lifted her left hand in to his and held it loosely while he took in the damage that had been done to her. He could see stitches on her head but fortunately she had lovely thick hair so he knew that the scars would be hidden. The dressing on her face extended across both cheeks and her nose and as the doctor had warned him it was bloodstained. Above it he could see the purple bruising under her eyes and another dressing on her temple where he guessed they'd made the incision to fix her cheekbone. The bed sheet came up to her chest and she had a gown on so he couldn't see the rest of the bruising on her body. She had two IV's in, and a catheter and she was hooked up to a machine which was measuring her blood pressure, oxygen stats and heart rate.

Sitting next to her bed Jonathan kept hold of Jennifer's hand and bent to kiss her fingers. He sat with her for a few minutes until the Doctor came back, indicating it was time to go. He got up and leaned across to kiss her softly on the forehead.

"I love you my darling... sleep well and I'll be here when you wake up."

Looking back at her Jonathan swallowed hard to force the lump in his throat down and then he psyched himself up to collect Aubrey and take her home. He was as scared of facing that as he had been of seeing Jennifer and he had no idea how he was going to explain to her about Poppa Max, and why he and Pearl were so upset. Jennifer would have known how to deal with it, he'd just have to wing it and hope for the best. At least Lucas and Andrew would just need fed changed bathed and played with, no complicated stuff.

Aubrey was still asleep when he got back to the room and he thanked the nurse, then picked her up from the bed and carried her to the car. She stirred slightly when he fastened her in to her car seat but was asleep again before he was out of the parking lot.

It was only on the drive home that Jonathan let himself go, and he cried all the way back to Willow Pond whilst Aubrey slept soundly.

He pulled up in front of the house and took a few minutes to compose himself before going inside and facing Pearl and Jessica. He was completely exhausted and wanted to crawl in to bed, but he knew he had to be strong for everyone. Opening the back door he gently unfastened the harness on the car seat and lifted Aubrey out, she mumbled something then settled in to his arms and carried on sleeping, much to his relief.

Stepping inside the front door Jonathan was surprised that it felt calm, there was no sound from anywhere so he quickly headed upstairs to Aubrey's room where he took her shoes and sweater off and placed her in her bed. He was about to put the bed guard up when he realised that he hadn't taken her to the bathroom. He debated wakening her then remembered they still had some diapers her size so he carefully put one on her without her waking up. Making sure she was safely tucked in he closed her blinds and put her night light on, offering a silent prayer that she'd sleep at least a few hours, if not the whole night.

He wasn't sure where the boys were, it was almost 8pm and they normally had their baths around then before having their last bottles. Sometimes they both woke for a feed during the night, it was unusual for them both to sleep through and if they'd picked up on all the drama of the day it was likely they'd be unsettled. Jonathan walked towards the Nursery, he should really bath the boys, he and Jennifer usually bathed them together which they loved, but she wasn't here...

As he reached the door of the boys' room Jessica and Pearl were coming out and Jessica held her finger up to her lips to warn Jonathan not to say anything. He followed the ladies downstairs, marvelling at how together Pearl seemed considering she'd just lost her husband.

In the living room Pearl stopped and turned round to him, reaching out she pulled him in to a hug and she held him as he broke down and cried again, this time for everything that had happened today. He'd lost Max, his oldest friend, and he'd come close to losing Jennifer too. She had a long road ahead of her and he didn't know how he was going to cope with looking after her and three small children. The thought of the kids led to him thinking about the baby they'd lost too, they hadn't even known that little one existed but he was going to have to tell Jennifer about it when she was better.

Pulling himself together Jonathan stepped back and looked at Pearl

"How're you bearing up?" He asked

"I'm okay Charlie, more worried about Jennifer. What are the Doctor's saying?"

"She's had 4 hours of surgery and they have her heavily sedated because there is swelling around her brain that they're concerned about... She has so many injuries Pearl, it's unbelievable that a woman did this to her."

"Will she be okay, what's the prognosis?"

"She'll fully recover Pearl, I know she will. I had a dream, Aubrey and the boys were teenagers, I had the same dream when the Lucas and Andrew were in hospital, and Jennifer was there, smiling and looking as beautiful as she always has."

"Can I get you anything Jonathan?" Jessica asked him. She was still traumatised by what she'd witnessed but she found keeping busy was the answer which was why the boys had been bathed and fed and in bed asleep by Eight. She'd also managed to tidy up the kitchen earlier when the boys were in the playpen keeping each other amused.

"Thank you so much for everything you've done here, it means a lot to me to know the boys have been well taken care of."

"You should have something to eat." Pearl told him as he flopped down on to the sofa. "I'll make you a sandwich" She added heading for the kitchen.

"How is she really doing?" Jonathan asked Jessica.

"She's holding up, she's been here before. She's devastated, but she's very strong and if she has you and your family to look after it will help her through her grief. "

Jonathan felt that he should be the strong one, but for once it would be nice to be looked after, and if it helped Pearl then he would allow her to do it.

"Is Aubrey okay?" Jessica asked

"She's asleep too. She was very withdrawn and subdued at the hospital, then she had a real outpouring, she was kicking and screaming and had to be sedated. I never asked how long it would last but I'm hoping that she sleeps all night, she's much calmer when she's had a decent sleep."

"You look like you could do with sleep yourself. I'll be on standby for the kids, you need your rest if you're going to be spending most of your time at the hospital for the next few days."

"Thanks Jessica, I'll have something to eat then get to bed myself."

Thirty minutes later and Jonathan went upstairs and looked in on Aubrey first, she had kicked her covers off and was lying curled up in a ball again with Simba in her arms. It was warm enough so Jonathan left her uncovered and went to the Nursery. Lucas and Andrew were both asleep and looking peaceful, thank God they were too young to realise what was happening. Jonathan smiled as he noticed the boys hands were touching.

Ten minutes later he was in bed too and despite his fears he might not be able to sleep, he very quickly dropped off...

The Phone rang early in the morning, Jonathan was still asleep and wasn't sure if he was hearing it in his dreams or if it were actually ringing until he heard Jessica answer downstairs and one of the boys start to cry, He was so tired, he couldn't even open his eyes but he knew that Jennifer would expect him to step and be the father he was, there was no time for grieving and sadness, he had decisions to make, About Max and his wife plus the kids.

He sighed and pulled himself off the bed and walked to the nursery where Andrew was sobbing and Lucas was asleep.

"Hi Buddy," Jonathan tried to be as cheerful as possible but his heart wasn't it and He wondered if the baby could sense it "What's the matter?"

Andrew stopped crying at the sound of his Daddy's voice but the voice he really wanted to hear was his Mama's and he began to cry again

"I know you miss her, I miss her too," Jonathan whispered carrying the baby to the changing table, it occurred to him that in the five months Andrew and Lucas had been alive, their mother hadn't spent an entire month with the, something was always coming up and taking her away from them. He took Andrew to the big rocking chair under the window and tried to get him to calm down but felt his own tears behind his eyes and began to cry.

Aubrey had woken up and wanted to crawl into her Mama and Daddy's bed, hoping that everything she seen and heard was a nightmare and that her Mama would be sitting up in bed either feeding the boys or reading with Daddy but when Aubrey peeked her little face inside the doorframe and saw only side of the bed empty, her heart sank even farther.

She shuffled her feet back to her room but stopped just outside the boys room where she heard her Daddy crying, he only cried when Mama was gone and even then, never in front of them and she knew instantly that it was her fault

If she'd been bigger, stronger and braver, her Mama would be home and Daddy would be down in the kitchen making breakfast. She felt the tears drip down her face and she quietly went to her room, shutting the door.

Downstairs, After answering the phone, Jessica pulled out items for the boys breakfast and waited to speak with Jonathan, she wasn't sure how to approach him with the latest development, she wasn't sure how he was going to react, his heart was already broken ..

Pearl came in with wet hair and in her sweats with her sunglasses on to cover her red eyes , she wasn't sure if she should go upstairs and talk to Jonathan about Max's arrangements or just go ahead and make them herself, because Jonathan had too much on his plate and it would be too overwhelming. But this had to be about Max and a celebration of the most wonderful man in the world. But it wouldn't be much of a celebration of his life if Jonathan and Jennifer weren't there.

Poor Jenny, how could something so horrible happen to her? Pearl couldn't get over that she'd been attacked in her own home..A person's home is their castle and she wondered if they would ever feel safe here again

"Pearlie, eat something" Jessica handed Pearl a muffin

"I can't, Jessie" Pearl wasn't sure if she could ever eat again, her stomach was in knots

"Please, you need to keep your strength up," Jessica walked from behind the counter and pressed the muffin into Pearl's hand

"Thank you," Pearl stood up and hugged her sister "For everything, I know this been crazy and overwhelming and you never planned on stay here for this long and I want you to know how much having you here means to me,"

"Hey, I'm glad to be here" Jessica whispered back, she'd forgotten what it was like to have family around her and she enjoyed every moment she spent with them, she felt like a grandmother and wanted for the first time in a long time.

Jonathan came down with the boys and Aubrey, who he found curled up on her floor with Simba sucking her fingers and came into the kitchen, he didn't make the connection between the kitchen and the attack until Aubrey set foot into the kitchen and gasped, she shook her little head and ran back into the living room.

Jonathan handed the boys to Jessica and went to the living room where Aubrey was having a panic attack

"Baby, are you alright?" He asked, her round face was red and she was silently crying, when he bent down to hug her, she screamed and tried to push him away, he knew that he couldn't give up and he had to break down her barriers before she became entrenched in her own mind and was lost to them forever.

He grabbed her and held onto her, just letting her cry and hoping it would release some of the poison that was going through her system

She passed out in his arms again, it seemed to be the only place of comfort to her, when Jessica came in with Lucas in her arms

"Mr. Hart," She whispered "There was a message for you earlier,"

"Who was it," He looked at his son, who was scrunching up his face, or "The Ham Face" Jennifer called it

"It was the Police,"

"Did they say what they wanted?"

"No, but you need to call them back immediately"

"Alright," He reached over Aubrey's head to the cordless phone they kept behind the couch and dialled the Police Station "Hello, my name is Jonathan Hart, returning a phone call"

"Mr. Hart, I regret to inform you but the woman involved in your wife's attack has escaped and we believe headed for your direction,"

Jonathan was pretty sure his heart stopped beating entire


	14. Pearl Steps Up

The look on Jonathan's face as he hung up the phone spoke volumes and both Pearl and Jessica stared at him.

"Charlie?"

"She's escaped Pearl... that animal has escaped!"

"How the hell did they let that happen?"

Jonathan shook his head, trying to think what to do first. He knew Jennifer would be safe, Jillian would never get in to the ICU, the Police told him that they had two men outside checking everyone who went in. They were sending a patrol to the house but the lieutenant warned Jonathan that she could already be somewhere in the grounds and she obviously knew her way around.

"Ok, Jennifer is safe so we need to stay together and stay calm until the Police get here to search the grounds."

"I'll get the boys their breakfast." Jessica said quietly standing up and walking to the highchairs to place the boys in them. Doing something normal might help keep the feelings of terror at bay, events of the last 24 hours were still unbelievable to her. She knew that Pearl had mixed in circles with some dubious people over the years but she'd always remained apart from that aspect of her sister's life, and Pearl had never been personally involved in anything this brutal before as far as Jessica knew.

"Thanks Jessica." Jonathan forced a smile for her while he tried to think ahead.

"I have to go back to the guest house for something. I'll be straight back." Pearl said heading for the back door.

"Pearl, please don't, please just stay here..."

"I'll be straight back Charlie." Pearl looked at him and Jonathan saw the steely determination, he knew that he wouldn't change her mind so he nodded. Still holding Aubrey in his arms Jonathan walked through to the living room and checked that the front door was locked then he went back to the kitchen and placed his sleeping daughter in her brothers' play pen.

Lucas and Andrew were completely oblivious and they were more interested in each other as Jessica made their baby cereal and mashed banana then sat down to feed them. She didn't even ask Jonathan if he wanted to feed one of his son's, she just lifted a spoon in each hand and sat between the highchairs whilst he paced the kitchen. She had just started to feed the boys when the back door opened and Pearl came back in, locking the door behind her.

"Are you ok?" Jonathan asked her.

"I'm fine Charlie." She replied walking towards the high chairs, and taking a bowl and spoon from Jessica, she pulled another chair round and sat and fed Andrew, leaving Jessica spooning the fruit and cereal into a hungry Lucas.

There was no more conversation and a couple of moments later the gate buzzer went and Jonathan walked to the panel and answered the intercom, flicking the switch on the video screen he saw that it was two cars, one unmarked and one Police car.

"Come on up." He said opening the gate. He watched the screen until both cars were in and the gate was closed again.

Jonathan went to talk to the Police in the living room and Pearl went with him leaving Jessica with the twins and a still sleeping Aubrey.

"Would somebody care to explain why my family are still in danger from that fucking lunatic?" Jonathan sounded calmer than he felt and Pearl gave him a side-ways glance, recognising the tone of his voice.

"Mr Hart, we're sor..."

"Don't tell me that you're sorry, just tell me what you're doing to catch her before she attacks another member of my family."

"We have patrols all over the area and a helicopter will be up looking for her soon. We have your wife under Police protection in the ICU and there are 4 officers going to stay here with you and the children."

"How long has she been on the run?"

"About four hours."

"Four hours? She could be in Mexico by now."

"We don't think so, we think she'll come back here."

"So we just sit and wait?"

"Yes."

"I'll get the Bel Air Patrol to search the grounds."

"Do what you need to do Mr Hart, my officers will stay around the outside of the house."

"For how long? What if this goes on for days, I can't be held hostage in my own home, I need to go and spend time with my wife."

"I understand the situation Mr Hart, but it's easier for us to protect you all here."

"We wouldn't need to be protected if your department had done their damn jobs right in the first place!" Jonathan was losing his cool now and Pearl knew how he felt, everything was slipping from his control and he hated that.

"That's very true Mr Hart, what happened at the hospital where she was being treated was reckless, but what I care more about at the moment is catching your wife's attacker and getting her behind bars where she belongs"

"What hospital?"

"Not the one your wife is in Mr Hart, we took her to a different hospital because she only had cuts and bruises, and we needed a psychiatric assessment done."

"Unbelievable..."

"Charlie... We have lots of things that need our attention so let's leave the Police to do their jobs and we'll go and get on with things." Pearl took his arm and guided Jonathan away.

Back through in the kitchen the boys were happily sitting in their chairs babbling to each other and Aubrey was still asleep, but not very peaceful. She was making little noises and twitching as Jonathan looked down at her.

"Leave her be just now." Pearl told him, knowing he was debating waking her up.

"What's happening?" Jessica asked

"Nothing at the moment! We're just sitting waiting for them to catch her..."

"And then what?" Jonathan asked "Even if they do catch her and she's found guilty and locked up, how long will she actually be in jail?"

"We need to concentrate on now, and that means getting her behind bars where she can't hurt any of us. That's the only way we'll be able to move on and live our lives in peace." Jonathan looked at Pearl, not totally convinced by her words, but knowing Jessica had been through enough and didn't need any more worry. He was grateful that she was still here considering what she'd witnessed.

"Okay, so what do we need to do just now?"

"Plan my husband's funeral..." Pearl said softly. Jonathan reached out and wrapped his arm around her.

"He'll have the best Pearl, no expense spared. It needs to be some place big because hundreds of people will come. Everybody loved Max." Jonathan felt the tears but he tried hard to keep them in check .

"You've known him for such a long time Charlie, you'll know what he'd want."

"I'll call Freddy, his bookie, her brother is a Funeral Director. He'll come here."

"Okay, that's a start..."

"Mama!" Aubrey yelled out and Jonathan jumped. He crossed to the playpen and looked down on her, even in her sleep she had tears on her cheeks. The boys had stopped babbling to each other, startled by their sister shouting out. This time Jonathan did reach in and scoop her up in to his arms, sitting down with her he held her close to his chest and rocked her gently until she opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"It's okay baby, your Daddy's got you, you're safe now."

"Want Mama..." she told him on a sob "Want Mama!"

"I know you do but Mama is in hospital getting her boo boo's taken care of. The Doctors are helping to make her better so she can come home soon." Jonathan continued to gently rock her and after a few minutes she stopped crying.

"I'll make her some breakfast." Jessica offered, not sure what else to do.

"Poppa's pancakes!" Aubrey said sitting up on Jonathan's lap. None of the adults knew what to say, she'd never understand about Poppa.

"I'll make you pancakes sweetie... just like Poppa's." Jessica smiled at her and got up.

"I'll get you some milk Aubrey." Pearl told her going to the fridge

"Princess cup please!" Jonathan smiled at her request, happy that she had calmed down a bit.

After breakfast Jessica took Aubrey up for a bath and Pearl busied herself changing the twins while Jonathan went to speak to the Police.

"Any news yet?" He asked the sergeant, knowing what the answer was likely to be.

"No. The helicopter is up now, it should be over here shortly. We have men on the ground too, we'll find her."

"Forgive me if I seem cynical!" Jonathan told him, the sergeant was about to reply when his radio crackled. Pressing the button on it he told control to go ahead and talk to him.

"Possible sighting of the suspect, close to the Hart estate, by the Bel Air patrol so the helicopter is heading over that way now."

"Okay, keep me updated please!' Heading to the front door the sergeant opened it and spoke to one of the men outside 'Possible sighting of her heading this way so be on standby."

"Yes Sir."

"Mr Hart I think we'd better have everybody in one room for now please."

"Right." Jonathan agreed and went back to the kitchen. Both Lucas and Andrew were changed and were in the playpen and Pearl was standing looking out of the window. She turned towards him.

"Charlie?"

"Possible sighting of her close by so they want us all in one room."

"Jessie and Aubrey are still upstairs. I'll go and get them if you take care of the boys." Pearl suggested and Jonathan nodded his agreement. They had another playpen in the living room so all he had to do was lift the boys out of one and take them through to the other one while Pearl headed up the back stair case.

Five minutes later Jessica came down with Aubrey who had enjoyed her play in the bath and seemed much calmer. She had one of the Simba's with her and a couple of books. Jessica sat down with her and began to gently brush her damp hair.

"Did you have a nice bath baby?"

"Yes, with bubbles!"

"That's good, you can watch a dvd now if you want to."

"I see Lion King Daddy!"

"Okay, you can see Lion King...again!" He smiled at her as he got up and put the large TV on. The Lion King was still in the dvd player, infact it very rarely came out! A moment later the opening titles came on the screen and Jessica finished brushing her hair and settled her on the sofa next to her.

"Where's Pearl?" Jonathan asked as he crossed to sit beside Aubrey.

"I thought she came down here..." Jessica said.

"No, the last time I saw her she was on her way to tell you the Police wanted us all in one room."

"She came in as I was lifting Aubrey out of the bath and told me what had been said. I assumed she'd come back down again."

"What is she doing?" Jonathan asked, more to himself that to Jessica. Going in to the kitchen he came face to face with the sergeant.

"Are you all in the living room now Mr Hart?"

"Apart from Mrs Brennan, I was just looking for her."

"I've been walking around the house and I haven't seen her."

"She's grieving for her husband, maybe she's gone back to the Guest House."

"I'll go and check, you go back to your children."

Jonathan was reluctant, but he knew the children needed him to take care of them so he did as he was asked, wondering what the hell Pearl was up to.

Time passed and Aubrey remained engrossed in the film as the boys dozed off, but still there was no sign of Pearl and Jonathan was getting worried. He tried not to show it but Jessica knew, and she was just as concerned about her sister.

Finally Jonathan got up and walked to the front door. He opened it slowly and looked out but couldn't see anyone. He started to close it again but heard sirens and the sound made his heart beat faster. The gate buzzer went and Jonathan switched the video screen on the panel next to the door on, seeing it was paramedics he opened the gate and closed it again after they drove in.

Closing the door he started pacing in the living room, he couldn't believe that Pearl had put herself out there in danger. Did she not realise that he needed her, they all needed her. He'd lost Max, Jennifer was gravely ill and now something had happened to Pearl, something that required an ambulance. How much more was he supposed to take before he cracked up, never mind poor Jessica... Looking across at Pearl's sister he saw the tears running silently down her cheeks as she sat next to Aubrey.

He continued to pace for a few minutes, trying to think straight. The door from the kitchen opened and Jonathan spun around as the sergeant came through.

"What's happened to Pearl, is she injured, what did that animal do to her?"

"The ambulance isn't for Mrs Brennan, it's for your wife's attacker."

"You got her?"

"Actually Mrs Brennan got her. In the head. With her Smith and Wesson handgun!"

"Is Pearl okay?"

"She's fine, she's being checked over by the paramedics then she'll be interviewed by one of my officers."

"And that woman...?"

"Likely to prove fatal... "

Jonathan could say that for the first time in his life, he was absolutely stunned, what had she been thinking? And more importantly, where the hell had she gotten the gun?

"Mr. Hart, we need you to answer a few questions regarding Mrs. Brennan,"

"Such as?" Jonathan didn't know if they wanted to dig into her past and her connections, she was his mother after all and her loyalty was something that could never be compromised, he learned that much from her so there was no way that he'd throw her under the bus

"Does she have a history of violence?"

"No! Never!" Jonathan was appalled

"Do you know if she had a license to carry the gun?"

"She's a 60 something year old woman, what she has in her name is her business,"

"Mr. Hart, we need to interview possible witnesses to the crime, starting with your other nanny and your daughter"

"Interview Mrs Fletcher all you want but my daughter is not a witness to this and will not be interview. If you wish to interview her, you'll need a court order"

Just then, Another officer approached them whispered into the officer interviewing Jonathan's ear

"Mr. Hart, Mrs. Brennen is asking for you"

Jonathan nodded briskly and walked to the ambulance where Pearl was sitting in the back of the rig; she was shaking and her clothes were soaked in blood, the EMTs were concerned that she was having some sort of meltdown

"Pearl, Pearlie …" He tried to hug her but the EMT worker stopped him

"I'm sorry, sir but until we can bag her clothes for evidence .."

"Right….Pearlie, why did you do this?"

"It was never going to end, she was always going to be after you, Jenny or the kids, I need to make sure that it was over and that Aubrey would grow up happy"

"But Pearl, we had security …" He didn't want to argue with her, if he'd had the chance he'd have done the same thing himself

"I did what I had to do, Max would have done the same thing, I have no regrets" She suddenly sat up with a determined look on her face, "If I have to go to jail for it then so be it ..I will not let my grandchildren down."

"Mr. Hart, we have to go now, She's going to be booked, fingerprinted and questioned after being checked out at the Hospital , it's going to take a few hours," the Police Officer said standing behind them

"What about bail?"

"It's going to be pricey,"

"Whatever the cost, I don't care, Pearlie, Don't say a word until Truman Mikels is called,"

The EMTs workers loaded Pearl into the back of the ambulance and drove off, sirens blaring

"Where was she shot?" Jonathan asked quietly

"Just beyond the pond, it was a struggle and the gun went off ..we assume, we won't know until we get the autopsy report,"

"I'd like a copy of that when it becomes available, Do we know if she has any other known associates,  are my children still in danger?"

"As of right now, we don't believe so but we are still going to make sure that you have round the clock officers and that your wife is protected,"

"Fine.." Jonathan already decided that first thing tomorrow he was upping their security, he'd get secret service guys if necessary.

The police left and Jonathan felt suddenly like his world was bottoming out, everyone was gone and he was left all alone, like the orphan he once was

"Jonathan," Jessica tapped him on the shoulder, "Phone for you"

"Hello," He dreaded what could possibly come next,

"Mr. Hart, This is one of your wife's trauma surgeons and we're calling because we're having a tough time stabilizing her heart, her rhythms are everywhere and we're afraid that this could be the beginning of heart failure, we need you to come down here and make some decisions for her,"

Jonathan's own heart, which he wasn't sure could handle any more bad news, instantly plummeted further to the ground

"Mr. Hart," The doctor repeated

"I'll be there," he whispered

As he sped off in his car toward the hospital, he remembered something he'd forgotten, a memory that make his heart shoot up a few notches.

It had been almost six months since Aubrey had been killed, and things were just starting to return toward normalcy, to a place that they had never imagine but were somewhat at peace, that was when they'd decided to start trying for another baby. Something to not quite fill the void, but give them more of a purpose in life.

He remembered her calling the office, using their code for 911, "Red Ink" which basically meant there was trouble and she needed him.

He'd rushed hoping expecting to find her in tears, maybe over the baby or something else, her hormones had taken a beating and she often found herself sobbing at 2:30 in the afternoon but when he walked into the house, she was nowhere to be found and the kitchen was covered with blue balloons and blue confetti, curiously he called her name and when she came out from the pantry, she held something in her hands

"What's that" He asked pointing to her

"It's something for you," She held out what looked like a frame and a black and white picture inside

"You red inked me for a picture?" He wasn't sure if he should be furious or give her the benefit of the doubt

"This is a special picture," She smiled and walked toward him holding out the frame "Something we've both wanted and need," She placed the frame in his hands

He looked down and realized it was a sonogram, she was pregnant! "Are you sure,"

"8 weeks as of tomorrow," She smiled and kissed his lips "Are you happy?"

"Of course, but are you happy?"

"I've never been more happier in my life," She was a bundle of nerves in reality but she knew that a baby could heal them

He put the picture down on the counter and swept her in his arms, she laughed and kissed him like her heart was finally in the right place

"New Beginnings…"

"But we'll never forget …"

"Never," he sat her on the counter and lifted her shirt a little "Hello Little One I'm your daddy, we can't wait to meet you!"

He remembered how her head rolled back in laughter, he wanted to so much to make her never stop laughing, to see her eyes crinkle

When he got to the hospital and went up to the ICU, her doctor was waiting for him

"Mr. Hart, I'm Dr. Keller, one of your wife's doctors, I'm a cardiologist and we've been monitoring your wife for the past few hours and we're concerned that her heart rate is dipping so much, it won't go back up and we need to get it back up to par"

"How can I help?" Jonathan was so desperate, he'd try anything

"The nurses mentioned that your wife's heart rate goes back up to an even level when you are around and speaking, like she instinctively knows you're in the room, maybe if you spoke to her it could improve enough we won't need to take her back to the OR "

"I'll do my best," Jonathan followed him to Jennifer's room, and barely able to stop the flinch when he saw her face, which seemed more black and blue than the day before , her stitches more prominent and the breathing tubes under her bandaged nose making it even scarier, she was wearing a gown but it was enough to barely cover her legs and he noticed that the buttons were undone so they could get to her broken knee more quickly if necessary

"Jennifer," The doctor said loudly "Jonathan is here to visit you," the breathing tube making a whooshing noise as if in agreement, "I'll leave you alone"

Jonathan sucked in his breath and pulled a chair next to her bed, taking her non broken hand , he spoke as if she would answer him, he hoped she would get up and argue with him

"This has to be said and It's been a long time coming, I'm angry at you, your constantly leaving me and the kids and it's not fair, we fought so hard to get the baby back and then you leave again, we have our boys and you leave again, you are such a hypocrite. That time in Mexico when you left, I admit I had it coming but I've stepped up and you've stepped back. I'm sick of having a transcontinental wife, that's not what we agreed to when we got married, we're supposed to stick together and we can't do that if you leave. I won't survive and neither will the kids, we've been put through the wringer enough and it's time it ended now. This isn't what I signed on for and if you can't understand then go ahead and die , just go but remember this, you're leaving your children behind, a daughter whose been through enough traumatic experiences in her life and that's not the type of life she deserves. "He knew he was speaking harshly but sometimes enough is enough " And what about the boys? They won't have any memories of you. They deserve a mother who can appreciate them . I never thought you could be so selfish," He felt tears pour down his face and put his head on the side of the bed and sobbed when it suddenly felt like fingers brushing through his hair

He was almost afraid to look up but when he did he saw two brown eyes staring back at him, with fear and trepidation he started to speak when she made her first noise since the attack nearly 72 hours before

Her voice croaking "Jon-athan"


	15. Tears That May Never End

The medical staff had come in, alerted by the machinery that Jennifer was coming around, her Doctor was completely stunned that she had pulled herself out of a medically induced coma at the sound of her husband's voice.

"I don't know what you said to her Mr Hart, but it must have been pretty powerful!" Dr Keller told him as they all moved around her ready to assess her condition. "We could see from the CT scan this morning that the swelling was reducing and we were planning on trying to wake her up slowly later today, she obviously had other ideas."

Jonathan wasn't looking at the doctor he was looking at Jennifer, wishing he had thought about what he was saying to her, he didn't want to be responsible for her being out of the coma before she was ready, he panicked thinking he might have done more harm than good. Jennifer continued to look at him and the tears that overflowed were soaked up by the bandages across her nose and cheeks.

"I need you to move back for a few minutes please Mr Hart." Dr Keller told him. Jonathan let go of Jennifer's hand and did as he was asked. He stood watching them, unable to make eye contact with his wife, and unwilling to anyway as he knew he might have gone too far with what he'd said. He did want her to know how he felt but this wasn't really the best time to do it.

Jennifer felt the worst she had ever felt in her life. She was attached to machinery and knew she had tubes, wires and canula's in her body. She didn't really feel what she could describe as pain, just dull aches everywhere and her body felt like a massive lead weight. She had moved her fingers, but that was as much as she could manage. She remembered bits of the attack and knew her face was damaged because she was aware of bandages under her eyes and her vision was a little blurred. She had known when she made the decision to leave her Mother, her Daughter and Max and return to Jonathan and their children that the road ahead of her would be hard, and she would do whatever it took to get herself back to normal as quickly as possible. As she had heard Jonathan tell her, their children deserved a Mother who would appreciate them, and who would be there for them. She knew he was right, she hadn't been there physically for them like she should have been, but from this day forward the present and future were all that mattered, the past had to be left behind. She tried to move her head but found she couldn't and just the effort of it made her feel dizzy so she closed her eyes again.

Jonathan saw her eyes close and he moved towards her but one of the nurses stopped him.

"Let Doctor Keller do his job Mr Hart, your wife is still very ill."

Reluctantly Jonathan stood back again.

Jennifer could hear what was being said and she tried hard to open her eyes and focus again but she felt exhausted.

"What's happening?" Jonathan asked.

"She's not unconscious again Mr Hart, but her body needs rest and we have to let her wake up fully when she's ready."

"Can I sit with her?"

"Yes, you can but please just let her rest."

"I will. I'll just sit and hold her hand."

And that's what he did, he sat by Jennifer's bed, in silence, with her hand in his. The medical staff came in every 30 minutes to check on her and assured him that her vitals were all good.

Four hours passed before Jennifer opened her eyes again and this time when she looked at her husband she could see him more clearly. She still felt dreadful but her vision had improved and her body didn't feel as heavy. She was able to move her hand which Jonathan still held lightly in his and as he felt it he looked at her and smiled.

"Welcome back sweetheart, I missed you." Jonathan told her softly

Jennifer didn't try to talk this time, she just moved her head slightly and she knew she was fully conscious because she felt the pain shoot through her face as she moved.

"I'll get the doctor, I'll be right back." Jonathan got up and went out in to the corridor and Jennifer tried to lie as still as possible.

A couple of minutes later Jonathan and Doctor Keller came back and a moment later a nurse followed them.

"Are you in pain Mrs Hart?" The Doctor asked and Jennifer nodded, wincing as she felt the sharp pain from her nose to her temple and a feeling of pressure right across the top of her head.

"I think another dose of Morphine for Mrs Hart please." The doctor instructed the nurse who quickly went to comply. "Just give her some time Mr Hart, your wife has suffered a severe trauma."

Jennifer lay there, letting the doctor examine her, and was grateful when she felt the medication start to take effect and her whole body start to relax. The doctor and nurse removed the breathing tube and Jennifer felt the pain shoot through her face as they did but she tried to blank it out. She closed her eyes again and allowed her mind to drift back over the last few years and everything that had happened to her since meeting Jonathan.

What should have been the happiest time of her life had turned in to a complete nightmare and she had allowed herself to be consumed by the bad stuff instead of letting go of the past and enjoying the precious moments with her beautiful family. She had no idea what had happened to her attacker, but that woman had taken enough from her, especially the baby girl who would never get the chance to come in to this world. Jennifer wondered if Jonathan already knew what had happened. Thinking about their little girl lead her to think about Max, she knew that Jonathan had to be hurting badly just now and she also knew that she had to recover quickly in order to be there for them all. Poor Pearl who must be devastated, a newlywed losing her husband, it was so sad.

Jennifer slowly opened her eyes and this time the pain was much less, she was able to turn her head and look at her husband, hoping that her eyes could tell him what she wasn't able to say out loud. He walked towards her as the doctor moved to update her chart and the nurse moved the blood pressure monitor away. Leaning down he very softly kissed her lips and whispered that he loved her. Jennifer wanted to be able to say it back but for now she looked deep in to his eyes and he held her gaze until the doctor spoke.

"Vital signs are good, I think we can go to hourly obs now. Your heart rate was giving us cause for concern Mrs Hart but it seems to have regulated now. We'll do another CT scan tomorrow morning and if the swelling has further reduced then we'll think about getting you out of bed so we can work on getting your knee on the road to healing. Jackie will get you some water and some ice chips, the ventilator will have dried your mouth and throat but we'll have you talking to us in no time!"

"Thank you doctor." Jonathan said as the nurse left the room. He had just sat back in the seat by Jennifer's bed when she arrived back. She lifted the remote control from its pocket on the wall and slowly moved the top of Jennifer's bed a little more upright.

"Lie completely still just now Mrs Hart in case you start to feel faint. Give it a couple of minutes then I'll help you drink some of this water."

A little later Jennifer was propped up and had sipped some water and sucked a few ice chips. The morphine had worked well and she was feeling more human again. The doctor had left and the nurse checked the fluid drip in her arm and said she'd be back to remove it in an hour. Finally they were alone and Jonathan moved as close to the bed as he could and reached to take her hand. It was a few moments before he lifted his head to look at her but when he did her eyes were waiting.

"I'm so sorry my darling..." His voice broke and Jennifer took as deep a breath as her broken ribs would allow and spoke for the first time. She said the words slowly and it was a struggle but she persevered.

"You ...have no... reason... to apologise... I'm... so sorry... about Max." Jonathan was stunned, how could she have known about Max. He hadn't planned to tell her straight away, he was wondering if she could have overheard him talking to anybody, or if somebody else had mentioned it. Jennifer realised what he was thinking and she spoke again. "I saw him... when I was... in theatre. I ..."

"You saw Max? After he died? Did you speak to him?" Jonathan would have been sceptical in the past but these days nothing surprised him.

"He was with my Mother... and our...baby...girl." Jennifer felt her tears again as she thought about Soleil.

"Baby girl?" Jonathan asked, further stunned that she knew about the miscarriage and that their baby would have been a girl."

"Yes." Jennifer said sadly. Jonathan didn't know what to say, this was such a big loss for them. Max had been the only Father he'd known, a huge part of their family. They'd never known their baby, but knowing she'd been taken from them on the same day as her Poppa doubled his pain.

"She'll be well looked after by her Grandma and her Poppa." He finally said, and Jennifer was able to nod her agreement.

They sat together in silence, both lost in their own thoughts for a while.

"She's dead now too... your attacker. Jillian. She escaped and came to the house, the Police and Bel Air Patrol were there waiting for her. "Jonathan stopped there, thinking that for now he'd allow Jennifer to believe the Police got her, not Pearl. "Everybody else is fine, Aubrey and the boys knew nothing about all the drama. Aubrey was watching Lion King... again!" Jennifer smiled at the thought of her babies, they would be her motivation for getting better as quickly as possible.

"You should go...home to them." Jennifer told him.

"I will, in a while."

It was another hour before Jonathan left. Jennifer had fallen asleep again so he kissed her, told her he loved her and headed home to put their children to bed.

It was getting dark when he arrived home and there was a Police car pulling out of their driveway as he approached the gates. He felt the panicked feeling from earlier return as he drove through the gates and up to the house. He had called his assistant Liz on his way to the hospital and asked her to go and help Jessica with the children, and he noticed her car was the only one outside the house. He pulled up behind it and got out of the car almost running to the house, his keys in his hand. Opening the door he wasn't sure what to expect but everything seemed calm and organised. There was no sign of anybody in the living room so he walked through to the kitchen. Aubrey was sitting in her chair at the table eating pasta and Liz was sitting beside her talking to her. They both looked up and Aubrey smiled as Jonathan walked across and kissed her head.

"Hi daddy!" she said casually.

"Hi baby, are you okay?"

"I'm okay Daddy, eating pasta!" She told him spooning more in to her mouth.

"Where's everyone else?"

"Jessica is putting the twins to bed, and Pearl went up to help her."

"Pearl?" Jonathan asked surprised.

"Yes, she got home about ten minutes ago. A Police woman brought her back."

"Finally some good news... Thank you so much for staying all afternoon Liz."

"No problem. Aubrey and I had fun didn't we?" Aubrey nodded and carried on eating.

"How's Mrs Hart?" Liz asked carefully, aware he couldn't say much in front of Aubrey.

"Improving."

"That's good."

"Yes it is. Are you okay here for a few more minutes while I go and speak to Pearl?"

"Of course, take as long as you need."

"Thanks Liz. Be back in a minute baby, I just need to speak to Aunt Pearl." He told Aubrey kissing her again before heading upstairs.

She was sitting in the nursery watching Lucas sleep, Jessica must have been changing Andrew in Aubrey's room so he wouldn't disturb his brother because Lucas fell asleep the moment his tiny head the crib mattress while Andrew fussed until his eyes wouldn't stay open.

Pearl looked so sad, the moonlight highlighting her exhausted eyes and he knew that she wouldn't rest until she was sure they were all safe.

Jonathan put his hand on her shoulder and wasn't surprised she jumped 10 feet in the air

"Oh Charlie," She tried not to scream

"Pearlie, "He gestured for her to leave the babies room and come to the office, he wanted to speak to her without worrying anymore about the boys.

They walked back to the office, He dropped himself behind the desk while she sat in front of him, for a moment he felt like a principal about to discipline one of his students even though she had 30 years on him.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there to bail you out,"

"It's fine, Truman posted my bail and I was out in 45 minutes,"

"Did he explained what's going to happen now," Jonathan narrowed his face, he'd been so wrapped up in his wife, He didn't think to call their lawyer on the way home

"I'm being charged with involuntary manslaughter," She said quickly and quietly

"What? Why?"

"Because I chose to defend my family instead of letting some psycho get to them again,"

"But she was coming after us!" Jonathan was stunned

"In the eyes of the Law, that doesn't matter. "

"Pearlie, we'll fix this.."

"No I'm prepared to go to Jail," the exhaustion in her voice gone, suddenly She was adamant

"Why?"

"Because It's what Max would have done," She stood up and left, stopping in the door," How's my Jenny?"

"She's doing really well," He nodded at her, she couldn't handle what was really happening with Jennifer, She already had so much on her plate plus they still needed to plan Max's funeral.

Max's funeral, how could they honour him properly with Jennifer in the hospital and Pearl going to jail? It broke his heart, at this point it was completely shattered. Suddenly a knock on the door shook him out of his thoughts

"Mr. Hart," Liz called

"Yes, Liz,"

"Aubrey fell asleep after eating and I put her down in your bed, Mrs. Fletcher was in Aubrey's room with Andrew, "

"Is he alright," Jonathan stood up

"I think he's having a rough night,"

"I'll check on him after I catch a peek at my daughter, Thank you," He smiled sadly

"Anytime, Good Night Sir" Liz turned and left.

Jonathan walked tiredly down the hall, to the bedroom, before he opened the door, he paused remembering the last time he'd been there with his wife, she had been nursing Lucas while he had been burping Andrew and Aubrey was playing next to her Mama and brother with her Barbie when she took a flying leap off the bed onto his back, he remembered how hard Jennifer had laughed when he lurched forward unexpectedly and swung around, Aubrey hanging off him like a monkey, he'd nearly lost his grip on Andrew, Even Lucas looked at him and smiled, which was surprising because when that boy was hungry, the world could stop and he wouldn't care as long as the milk flowed.

It was a perfect family moment. He'd give anything to have it back even for just a second.

He opened the door to find his baby daughter curled up in her Mama's pillow, her little face so much like Jennifer, her mind was all Aubrey but her movements spoke of her mother, he only hoped that she would grow up knowing the beauty of her mother and not remember the ugliness of right now.

She sighed and turned over in her sleep, her forehead crinkled as if she was concerned about something and when she started to whimper, he laid down beside her and started to rub her back, with his other hand, he reached over to turn on Jennifer's clock radio, putting it on low, a song came on that touched home so much he began to cry

_I know the kind of guy I am  
>A bit too much into myself, not much left for someone else<br>And I'm sure I've caused my share of pain  
>But all that changed when you first touch my face<em>

_Halfway around my little world  
>You had no idea that you were my girl<br>You found my arms not a moment too soon  
>I couldn't see past me 'til I saw you<br>Sweet Naleigh Moon_

_I love the man you're making me  
>Yeah, every day I'm gonna prove there's nothing I won't do for you<br>Just to see you in your mama's arms  
>Is more than enough to bring me to my knees<em>

_Halfway around my little world  
>You had no idea that you were my girl<br>You found my arms not a moment too soon  
>I couldn't see past me 'til I saw you<br>My sweet Naleigh Moon_

_I can't imagine life  
>Without my Naleigh Moon<em>

_Halfway around my little world  
>You had no idea that you were my girl<br>You found my arms not a moment too soon  
>I couldn't see past me 'til I saw you<em>

-Josh Kelly

Jonathan cried himself into an exhausted sleep, his daughter never moving from his arms. He desperately clung to her as if she were a life raft, which for him at that moment she was.

While Jonathan clung desperately to their daughter, Jennifer was trying to stay awake long enough to take an assessment of her injuries, she knew her leg was badly damaged and every inch ached but her curiosity was getting the best of her, she wanted to see the damage to her face but she couldn't get up especially with all the tubes and wires so getting to the bathroom was impossible, she felt around with her good hand to the dresser, hoping to find a hand mirror, she felt a toothbrush, a hairbrush and a few other items until her fingers felt the shape of a tiny mirror

Taking a deep breath, she pulled the mirror out and looked, Her face was swollen, her eyes black and blue, she had a row of stitches going across her forehead, the beauty that she once had and felt was gone, she was hideous, how could her husband ever look at her the same way again? She wished Jillian had beaten to death. She decided she would never feel sexy again and would know that every time her husband called Gorgeous, he was lying.

She grieved for her body, her marriage and her babies, even though her head was pounding , she still managed to cry

Just as she was gearing up for one good cry, the door swept open and Pearl entered without turning on the light, She had figured Jennifer would be asleep and wanted to see for herself what had happened, Jonathan was so adamant about protecting her, that he was willing to lie to her, Pearl couldn't fault him for that but he needed to understand that she had to do things for herself and in this moment and this time, She had to see Jennifer.

Pearl saw the tears streaming down her face and the mirror in her hand and knew, she took the mirror out of Jennifer's hand, climbed into the bed, cautious of the wires and Jennifer's damaged leg and wrapped her arms around Jennifer.

Just as she done in Kenya when Jennifer was desperate for her daughter. And She would do until she would face the jury for her crimes.


	16. Guilt by Association

_A/N I realize how horrible it is to write about kids dying in wake of the Connecticut tragedies but trust me it's only a brief passing before we get on to lighter moments, remember that it's not to be make fun of, but to show the affects of the previous page's attack. Just keep this in mind.. _

_Happy Reading! _

Jonathan had avoided the hospital for a few days after Jennifer had woken up, he was so filled with grief and guilt over what had happened to her and what he'd said to her , that he couldn't bear to witness the pain she was in, because if he could have, he would have traded places with her in a heart-beat

Every time he closed his eyes, whether it be to rest his exhausted body for a few moments or even just to take a breath, he could only picture the stitches that aligned her face, the cast that held her knee cap in place, the plaster cast that held her hand where the ring he'd so carefully placed months had been before, the ribs that he'd held while hugging her

The images haunted him terribly.

And Although Aubrey had seemed to be unfazed right after the attack, aside from her panic attacks when going into the kitchen Suddenly night terrors began and she wouldn't go to sleep, afraid that every time she closed her eyes, Daddy would be gone because in the few months she'd been back, her Mama had disappeared but had always come back and Aubrey wondered if after seeing and hearing the pain her Mama was in, if she was gone for good.

There were days when she'd spend all day silently crying, no amount of comforting would do her any good and promises to bring her to visit Mama only brought on more sobbing, then there was the day she decided nothing she could ever say would change the fact that she'd left her Mama all alone in pain while some woman terrorized her so she shut down, a few words here and there but then nothing and she retreated further into herself, she refused to play with her brothers and when anyone brought them into a room, she would pat their little heads sad sadly and go to her room, Knowing that although she had done a good thing by pushing the crib into the passageway, she had left them all alone in a dark space

She was their big sister and she failed them.

She knew that, although Daddy said she was forever his love like her Mama, that he was lying, she heard him beg God to answer him on why this had happened, they didn't deserve this and that if Mama just had listened to him and taken Aubrey and the boys along with him to Chicago, that the attack wouldn't have happened but of course She'd insisted that her place was at home with the kids and that she didn't want to disrupt Aubrey's first sleepover, it was a new milestone that Aubrey had reached that her Mama had been first to witness since missing out on her first steps, her first year old life and her first words.

All the major firsts that all Mamas should witness

Her two year old heart broken and full of guilt over things she didn't understand, and that as advanced as she was, Aubrey was still just a baby but in her mind she felt that she should make it easier on Daddy, that he wouldn't be as worried about her instead he could focus on Mama if she wasn't around.

She'd decided to back to the Jungle, a place that she'd seen in her dreams so many times and through watching the Lion King, to her regain place among the children she'd known and played among the wildlife.

Aubrey had carefully watched Daddy using the alarm and calculated in her mind when the boys would wake up for their bottles or to be changed, she knew that Jessica often stayed in the big bed in the nursery so she wouldn't have to keep going up and the stairs and Aunt Pearl was far away in the guest house.

She had packed her small suitcase and waited until she was sure Daddy was asleep and slowly crept down the stairs, thankful that someone had forgotten to close the baby gates at the at the top and bottom of the stairs and slid on her bottom all the way down.

Unknown to her though, her Daddy was watching her from the top of the stairs, he knew that she was constantly replaying the attack in her mind and sometimes he'd catch her staring at the kitchen table from the doorway like she was trying to process what had happened but it wasn't making any sense and had noticed her little suitcase had been pulled out and filled with clothes, she was sneaky but not too wise on manipulation.

He watched as she pulled herself up onto the table under the alarm box and turn it off,amazed at the fact she knew how to do it and a bit frightened, that if she was able to do this at two years old, he'd have to barricade the door when she turned sixteen

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_It was cold and raining, the ground was caked with mud and the wind was blowing terrible, ordinarily on a day like this, Jennifer would be snuggled up beside Jonathan and the kids, reading or listening to Aubrey babble about a story she'd made up with her wild imagination, maybe helping the boys with their crawling and making sure Andrew's breathing was in control. But there would never be another day for that, She would go home to an empty house full of toys but no one to play with them, empty bedrooms, closets full of clothes that would never be worn. Her heart broken at the idea of never seeing her children growing up, to be the kind of people her and Jonathan would be proud of. _

_The Minster, who had presided over their wedding only months before spoke at the edge of the hill overlooking the many groves, to her left there was plot of a famous actress, although her tears prevented her from actually seeing the name on the stone. _

_The doctors had released her from the hospital specifically for this day only, when it was over, she was to return immediately to the hospital to continue the rehab on her leg and the infection in her hand, the stitching in her face which caused her jaw to continually ache would need a plastic surgeon and she was sure the doctors would be telling her soon that the blows to her abdomen which had caused her miscarriage would likely mean no more children which was fine because she knew that to have another baby after this unspeakable tragedy would only bring more pain, the children from her dream who'd grown up so beautiful and smart were gone and she knew and felt Jonathan's distance from her, he'd never love her the same way, she reached over the side of her wheelchair to grasp his hand and he pulled away immediately. The mourners were few and far between, Pearl was there but she was only allowed to attend to the gravesite service because the court had shown her some leniency, Jessica was there as well but she would be headed back to Cabot Cove that night, Stephen Edwards couldn't have come, when he'd heard about the attack on his only daughter and grandchildren, he had had a heart attack and was in a Maryland hospital himself. _

_Jennifer had tuned out most of the service, concentrating on the fact that her children were dead, that there would be no more daring rescues to Kenya to recover her missing children. She had been wheeled into the funeral home to witness three tiny caskets, one for each of them, that cold dose of reality she never thought she'd have to experience twice in her life. She tried to insisted to Jonathan that Lucas and Andrew should be together in one as they were in her body and in the hospital for those many days but he'd coldly ignored her as he had done since she had been in the hospital and he'd been forced to identify his children in the morgue. They hadn't even had time to bury Max. _

_Jonathan would do that privately. _

_The Minister gave the final prayer and as the few mourners left, Jonathan finally spoke to her _

"_I'll come by the house tonight and get a few things before I go to the apartment," _

"_You aren't staying at Willow Pond," She said quietly surprised_

"_I can't ever return there, it's not a home anymore," _

"_But What about me?" _

"_What about you, you don't need anyone, you've made that perfectly clear,"_

"_I need you please Darling I love you," She pleaded with him _

"_I can't love you anymore, it hurts too much," He said standing up _

"_We're married, we're a family!" She started to yell _

"_I can't be with someone who allowed her children to be killed!" _

"_It wasn't my fault!" _

"_It was the moment you brought him into our lives, We both would have been better off if we had never met and started this whole thing," He walked away leaving her alone _

"_But it's not my fault," She began to sob harder as the cemetery began to dump the dirt over her children, "It's not my fault"_

"Stop, please it's not my fault, it's not my fault," Jennifer woke up startled to find two nurses holding her down and another fixing an IV she had apparently pulled out without realizing it

"Mrs. Hart!" a nurse with the name Kylie was calling her name, "Calm Down, Mrs. Hart!"

"Quick, get a sedative, before she rips out her stitching!" Another nurse yelled

Jennifer was struggling to get up, she had to get to her husband and babies and they were only going to make it harder if they didn't get off of her.

After what seemed like an eternity or in reality a few moments, she felt a needle plunge into her skin and then her body feel inflamed for a just a minute then nothing, she faded into blackness

"Call her husband ," Kylie ordered the other nurse

"What's he going to do?" the nurse asked

"Watch and See"

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Jonathan was watching Aubrey struggle to open the door to make her escape when the phone rang, knowing he couldn't talk on the phone and make sure she stayed put, he finally had to call off her attempt

"Excuse Me, Missy!" He called to her," Stop right there!"

"Uh Oh," She whispered

"Turn around slowly and no sudden movements," He warned her like he was a cop and she was his perp "Now over to the couch Miss Hart and We'll talk about this,"

"No Talky Daddy" She shook her head and folded her arms

"Yes Talky," He watched her walk over to the couch and plop herself down in frustration, he walked behind the couch to where the phone was and answered, "Hello, Hart Residence"

"This is Amelia Shepard from St. Luke's hospital, I'm on your wife's trauma team,"

"Is she alright?" He was mentally kicking himself for leaving her

"She's having a rough patch and we think you should come back,"

"I'll be right there," He said immediately and hung up, "When I get back, we're going to talk about your prison break" to Aubrey who stalked up the stairs

"Don't slam the door, you'll wake up the" It was too late to say, she went to bedroom and slammed the door as hard as her little arms would allow, "The babies"

Andrew's cries were heard throughout the upstairs, Jonathan ran up before he could set off Lucas and he'd never make it back to his wife

Jessica, coming back from the guest bathroom met him in the hallway "What's wrong?"

"I need to get back to the hospital but I'm afraid Aubrey is trying to be an escapee and I can't take her with me, Andrew's crying and I have to see to him," He was so stressed out, his eyes were filled with exhaustion

"Why don't you take Andrew with you, I'll watch Aubrey to make sure she stays put,"

"Do you think it's a good idea,"

"It might do Jennifer some good to see one of her sons," Jessica patted his shoulder

Jonathan shrugged and went into the nursery, he looked in on Lucas who was curled up with one of Aubrey's Lion King dolls she must have left behind at some point and then went onto Andrew's crib

"Hey Rookie, what's the matter," He asked picking up the baby, "You miss your mama, huh,"

Jonathan quickly changed him and threw together the diaper bag, amazed that less than an year ago he knew nothing about babies and here he was make sure his son was wearing his little jacket, shoes and that he had enough formula to last.

The drive to the hospital was frantic, his mind wondering all over the place, how they got to this place, if they'd recover and become the family he'd longed his entire life.

Jonathan wondered if his wife would ever find peace, if she would ever smile and laugh again like she did before, he thought of all those times when he would make her angry only to kiss her and make her smile. How life was perfect less than six months ago.

He pulled into the Hospital parking lot, and got out of the car and was nearly in the elevators to the hospital when he realized that he'd forgotten Andrew in the backseat.

Jonathan ran back to the car and pulled the baby out of his car seat "You won't tell Mama about this, right,"

As if he disagreed, Andrew raised his eyebrows

A few minutes later, He walked to the ICU where Jennifer was and went to the desk, "Excuse Me, I'm here about Jennifer Hart,"

"I'm sorry, Children under two aren't allowed in the ICU," an older warden looking nurse said sternly

"Madame, this isn't just any ordinary Infant, he's got magical powers," Jonathan turned on the charm, smiling and using his dimples to sway the nurse

Who was the Rock of Gibraltar

"I don't care if that baby is Harry Potter, No infants," The warden said just as her name was paged over the intercom

"Don't move" the nurse ordered, for a moment Jonathan knew what Aubrey felt like when she got into trouble

As soon as the nurse turned the corner, Jonathan walked into the ICU Where a nurse was taking Jennifer's vitals, Jennifer's face scrunched up although she was asleep

"Mr. Hart"

"Yes, how's my girl?"

"She had a moment where she was agitated and pulled out her IV, we've put it back in but we're afraid she'll do it again once the sedative wears off and we don't want to over medicate her so we were thinking maybe you had some ideas on how to relax her without the aid of sedative,"

"I think I've got a little something that will calm her right down," He smiled and placed the baby in her good arm, her face instantly relaxing and instinctively rubbing her fingers across Andrew's belly. All her levels instantly settled down and Jonathan whispered in her ear

"See, I always said I had a sixth sense when it came to you,"

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_10 days later_

Pearl's arraignment was happening, sooner than they anticipated and when they wanted to happen, Max was still in the hospital morgue and Jonathan just wasn't sure when they would get around to having his funeral. At certain point Jonathan was simply going to have him cremated and then have a service when Jennifer and Pearl were able to be there because for all they knew, Pearl's trial could take days or months.

Jonathan's Lawyer, Truman Mikels made every attempt to convince Pearl to take a deal that would allow her time served in jail as well as 10 years' probation but she refused, she wanted her day in court because she had felt that what she had done was justified and that she had a good shot of being cleared

"How does the defendant plead," the Judge asked

"Not guilty, your honor," Truman answered

"Guilty, I did what I had to do to protect my family," Pearl said over her lawyer

"What is it, Mr. Mikels?"

"Not guilty," Truman held up his hand to shut her up

"Counselor, what are your feelings on bail," the judge asked the Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak

"5 million dollars bail and the defendant releases her passport,"

"That's a bit extreme isn't it, Judge?"

"Your Honor, Mrs. Bailey has sufficient ties to the other countries and is a flight risk"

"Judge, Mrs. Bailey is in one of three caretakers to three small children whose mother is currently fighting for her life after a brutal attack and her adopted son is one of California's prominent citizen who can personally guarantee that Mrs. Bailey will not flee the country,"

"We'll split the difference, Mrs. Bailey's bail will be set at two million dollars but she can hold onto her passport and that she remains in the state of California under house arrest," the Judge banged his gavel

Jonathan was sitting behind Pearl, who stoically stood up and was handcuffed

"I'll post your bail and get you out,"

"Don't, I'll stay in jail, kiss the kids goodbye for me" She said as the bailiff led her away.

A few hours later, Jonathan was finally able to post her bail after putting up the deed to the house, No bail bondsman would allow him to write a personal check for such a large amount of money and the banks had a specific limit on how much he was able to take out

When he finally got to the Jail cell to get Pearl out, he was lead to an interrogation room where Pearl was brought in, except this wasn't the same person he'd left in the courthouse, her lip was split, her eye blackened and she was limping

"Oh my god, Pearlie, what happened?" he asked touching her lip and not being surprised when she pulled back in pain

"A little scuffle in general population," Pearl said quietly leaving out the fact that she'd been pulled off her bunk and tossed around like a rag doll, "What are you doing here, I told you not to come,"

"I couldn't just leave you here, Max would have killed me," he noticed that the handcuffs on her small wrists were leaving welts, "Take the cuffs off of her!" He demanded to the Guard

"I can't, sir it's protocol," the Guard said staring straight ahead

"I've posted her bail, we're waiting on final paper work, now take them off of her!"

The guard refused to budge

"Charlie, It's okay," Pearl said "Whose got the kids?"

"The boys are with Jessica and Aubrey is with a child psychologist,"

"Why a kiddie shrink?" Pearl wrinkled her forehead

"I'll explain on the way home," Jonathan said just as Truman Mikels came into the room

"Oh Thank God I found you before you left"

"What's wrong? What's happened?" Pearl's greatest fear about another person attacking Jennifer or the kids was increasing with Each Breath Truman took

"They've recovered Elliot Manning's body in the Bay,"

"So that's a good thing," Jonathan shrugged

"No because they've discovered finger-prints on his body"

"Whose" Both Pearl and Jonathan said in unison

"Jennifer's"


	17. Lucky to be loved

Jonathan had to Aubrey back to Rosewood Day, he couldn't stay awake any-more and he knew that she needed undivided attention, to around kids her own age, and it might propel her out of herself imposed silence.

He hadn't told her where they going, he figured that somewhere in her mind was the mother of all tantrums and he didn't have the energy or patience to deal with. He knew she was upset over everything but he didn't think she could carry on much further in the silence.

When Jonathan pulled up to the school, Aubrey's eyes welled up with tears and she immediately started to shake her head,

"Baby, please" he begged her but she was adamant and unbuckled herself out of the car seat to jump over the seat of the Tahoe, Jonathan took a deep breath and climbed over the seat after her

She managed to get into the trunk and open the hatchback to jump out but he managed to grab her by her dress and pull her back, "I'm sorry Baby, but you have to go and I promise Daddy will make it up to you,"and climbing out of the car, she suddenly put all her weight into her legs causing him to nearly drop her

"Is there a problem," a teacher asked noticing that Jonathan was struggling and that this didn't look like an average drop off

"If you could take her, that would be great," Jonathan started to hand over Aubrey but she suddenly started shrieking, "Forget it," He walked into the school and put her in the class room, getting down on her level, he looked at her watery blue eyes

"Aubrey, I'm asking you, please just stick out for today," Jonathan made a move to leave and she grabbed him by the pant leg, "I have to go see Mama,"

She looked up at him and howled louder, Aubrey's teacher, Miss Lake came over, "Hi Aubrey, We've missed you!" She managed to untangle Aubrey and carry her over to where some other kids were playing

Another teacher, Miss Hall approached Jonathan, "Mr. Hart, we've heard about the attack on your wife, We're very sorry, is there anything we can do?"

"Yeah, protect my baby," Jonathan nodded and left the classroom, he stood outside and observed through the glass, the classroom door was open wide enough he could hear the conversations going on

Aubrey cried for another few minutes when Lily, her friend from the night of the attack and another dark haired little girl, Arabella came over to her

"Come play with us, Aubrey!" Lily tugged on her arm which Aubrey waved her off, Arabella dropped down beside her and put her arms around Aubrey's small body,

"Why are you crying?,"

Aubrey looked around to make sure Daddy wasn't there, "I broke my Daddy's heart,"

"How"

"I left my Mama to die and because of me, Poppa Max is gone too,"

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Jonathan was late for a meeting with Truman and Pearl and after hearing his two year old's confession, he'd gone back to the car and cried, he knew she felt guilty but to think that she was the cause of her Mama's hospitalization and Max being gone, was far more than anything he'd ever thought she was capable of understanding, she was punishing herself.

He took a deep breath, wiped his nose and put the car in drive, he knew that the conversation about the attack was a long time overdue, but he didn't know how to even begin discussing what had happened, he didn't know what happened in that house, only what he'd come to, his children missing and the house in total chaos. He had never even thought to get a police report but on top of his crazed day, he had to get down to the bare facts.

The problem was, the key people in involved where his wife, who was medicated and recovering, his daughter too traumatized to speak and the person who caused the attack who was unfortunately dead.

He slammed his hand against the steering wheel, angry that Pearl hadn't waited for the police, taking matters into her own hands and killing Jillian, which could have spared them all this pain and aggravation

But he decided he needed outside help, someone who'd been there in the beginning when Aubrey had been taken.

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Detective Olivia Benson had been transferred from the Maryland Police Department back to New York City after the birth of her son, August Stabler, four months before, it hadn't been an easy transition and she wasn't sure if this was the best time for her to go back to Special Victims but She'd done it and She was happy to be back in New York, Her Home

Olivia had barely been through the door to the precinct when she was summoned to her Boss's office, "Liv!"

"Uh Oh, It's barely 9'o clock, what'd you do?" Fin Tutola teased her

"Beats the hell out of me," She whispered walking into the office

Don Cragen was a short balding man who'd been a cop for over 30 years, there was nothing that surprised him and he had limited patience with everyone except Olivia, she was his surrogate daughter and When she'd transferred to Maryland, she nearly took his heart with her

"What's up Cap?" Olivia asked sitting down in front of his cluttered desk, she often felt sorry for him, His work day never seemed to be over, he was always exhausted and stressed out, she couldn't remember the last time he'd taken a sick day or gone on vacation

"Special Assignment from One Police Plaza, Pack your bags, you're going to California,"

"What case?" She rubbed her eyes, she'd just gotten settled with the baby and now she had to repack all over again

" A missing millionaire's daughter, they said you were the lead detective in Maryland, there's been new breaks in the case,"

"But that baby was found," She opened the file and started to read, the file was an inch thick

"I honestly don't know, Just make sure your ass is on the plane by 5,"

"What about August?" She wouldn't just up and leave her baby especially considering he was still an infant and there was no one to watch him

"Where's Elliot?"

"I don't know," She refused to speak about him, he didn't exist for her anymore, all she needed was August, What they'd had in Maryland was over and it would never happen again

The Captain knew better than to pry because once she shut up, it would take the jaws of Life to open her mouth again.

"Well then take him with you, Good Luck," He smiled at her and she left.

"So how'd the ass chewing go?" John Munch smiling

"Boys, enjoy this cold New York Weather, I'm off to Sunny California" Olivia said packing up her shoulder bag, she didn't want to have to come back to the Pen if she forgot anything

"What?! Your leaving?! For how long?" Fin was surprised, she'd just gotten back now she was leaving again

"As long as it takes," She smiled and turned to leave "Now play nice and don't fight"

"Livvy!" Munch whined

"Don't leave us!" Fin yelled after her

She just smiled and left

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Pearl didn't tell Jonathan that she was meeting with the Assistant District Attorney Novak with Truman because he would insist that she take the plea that had originally been offered and it wasn't what she wanted, and she didn't want to get into a pissing match with him over the decisions she was making about her life

Despite how she felt about him as her son

"Tell me what happened that night," ADA Novak said, sitting behind her mahogany desk, Pearl could see her file open including what looked like crime scene photos

"I remember leaving the main house and going to the guest house to get my gun,"

"Why did you need a gun?" Novak interrupted

"My daughter in law had been brutally attacked, I wanted to make sure that her children were safe, and I knew that Jonathan's gun was locked away in the closet and the bullets were gone, I didn't plan on using it, I just wanted to have it in case,"

"Continue," ADA Novak narrow her Green eyes

"After I left my sister and Jonathan with the kids, I went outside and saw a figure by the gazebo, I called out to make sure it wasn't my sister because I couldn't be sure who it was but I saw that whoever it was had what looked like a knife in its hand,"

"A Knife?" Novak looked down at her notes

"Yes, then when I went over to see whoever it was, they lunged at me and suddenly we were both on the ground, I thought I had dropped the gun when we hit the ground but I guess not because this woman had me pinned and when I kicked her to get her off me, I felt it underneath me and start to reach for it when she knocked it out of my hand, I climb out and started to run but she grabbed my ankle and I felt something stab at me, I kicked her again and I got up to run,"

"Why didn't you yell for help?"

"Because no one would have heard me, it's set miles from the main house and the neighbors couldn't hear because it's at least three miles on foot from the main gate,"

Novak only nodded, she'd been given a floor plan to the house but she needed all the details especially since the other woman couldn't explain for herself

"So you were running for help and then what?"

"She tackled me from behind,knocking it out of my hand but I could see the gun within reach, I admit I was getting tired and when I reached down and felt the gun, I grabbed it, turned and fired twice then ran around to the front of the house and saw the police coming,,"

"Only Twice, your positive you only fired twice"

"Yes, Why"

"Because according the to the police reports, the victim was shot four times,"

"So that means..?"

"If you're positive you shot only twice, which then we'll have to have forensics go over the gun,"

"It also could mean, there was another person in the yard," Truman looked down at his notes, which didn't match what the ADA had

"Which is impossible.." Pearl wasn't sure what to think, she was so confused and her head was beginning

"Is it?.." Truman looked concerned, this could be the key to getting her off the hook but it would be nearly impossible.

For Once in her life, Pearl was speechless

What had really happened in the yard?

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Jonathan had bypassed going to the meeting with Pearl, he felt like had to go see his wife, like she was in pain and she needed him, Pearl would tell him what happened anyway, besides he needed to find out whether or not his wife was involved in Elliot Manning's murder, he knew that she was really in no shape to answer questions and that to pry could only cause her to shut down more but he was racing a time clock, His instincts were telling him that despite both Jillian and Elliot being dead

His family was still in Danger

He walked to Jennifer's hospital room, surprised to see her awake and staring at the ceiling

"Hello Darling," He kissed her face, careful of the bandages across her face

"Hi…" her voice so sad

"How are you?" he took her good hand and started rubbing his wedding band across her thumb

"Fine," She refused to look at him in the eye, "How are the kids?"

"They miss you like crazy like I do," He wanted to see her smile again

"I miss them too," She sighed deeply and continued staring

"Are you okay?" He was so worried about her

"Just tired, I guess," She didn't want to tell him that she wished he'd stop visiting her, she looked horrible and she knew the toll that it was taking on him, clearly he wasn't eating or sleeping himself, He'd given up his entire life for her and she'd risked their entire family again and again , the never ending guilt that ate her up

"No something's wrong, talk to me," He had to press her, she was so like their daughter that if you didn't try to pry it out of her, she'd close up and never tell him what was wrong

"Alright Fine, I think you should stop coming to visit and concentrate solely on the kids, there's nothing you can do for me and I'd feel better knowing that your focus is only on them and not distracted " She felt the tears slide out of her eyes, burning her broken cheek

"No, I refuse to" He said simply "I haven't walked away before and I'm not about to start now, you can yell, scream, call security which you won't because you can't reach the button but I refuse. I promise to do whatever I have to do to get you through this and if it means sitting here for hours watching you sleep to prove that I love you then that's what I'll do, I'll make sure the kids are taken care, I'll bring them here and If I have to record it and put it on a loop then damn it so you'll never forget then so be it, You're my wife and I made a vow, we made a vow, this ring means something," He held up her hand where her wedding ring usually was

"Jonathan," Her breath was unusually labored and she looked like she wanted to say more but suddenly her eyes were filled with fear

"What's the matter? Are you okay?" He asked frantically noticing her heart-beating was plummeting on the machines and that her lips were turning blue , "CAN SOMEONE HELP ME PLEASE!" He began to yell

"Mr. Hart, You will have to leave!" a Nurse and Team of Doctors came rushing in with a crash cart and Nurse pushed him out the door

"What's happening?!" He demanded to know over the frantic beeping of the machines

"The Punctured Lung has filled up with blood and it's cause a heart arrhythmia, if we don't fix it now there's a chance she could die on the table!"

"Clear, 1, 2,3" An Orderly jump-started his wife's heart

Like he did so many months ago when she'd gone into premature labor, He slid down the wall and sobbed for everything

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"If you go down in the woods today you're sure of a big surprise If you go down in the woods today you'd better go in disguise For every bear that ever there was will gather there for certain  
>Because today's the day the Teddy Bears have their picnic"<p>

A beautiful dark haired girl sitting in a bathroom in a hotel room sang hauntingly as she dressed for dinner, she'd been looking forward to this all day and she wanted to look perfect, she made sure her short dress showed off her striking legs and that her makeup was flawless

"Are you ready?" a deep voice asked

"Just a second Baby," She finished putting in her earrings and turned to her boyfriend, "How do I look?"

"Gorgeous" He bent down and kissed her neck, she stood up and put her arms around him and kissed him long and hard "I have a gift for you", he reached around her and pulled out a box

She eagerly opened it to find a locket that held a picture of three small children

"Oh Elliot! It's beautiful!" She kissed him again,

"Mmm I could get used to this,"

"Dinner, Now, Dessert Later" She teased and led him out of the bathroom


	18. Losing my Hart

_Jonathan would remember this moment for the rest of his life, the day his daughter would be leaving home for good, he had been lucky and she had chosen to live at home while she attended college mainly at her mother insistence because she felt that college campus security wasn't up to her standard and she always wanted to make sure her daughter was safe. Those early days of Aubrey had been trying on all of them and to go through that would destroy what they'd so carefully built and Even Aubrey agreed to remain at home, she had negotiated with them regarding how she wanted to live, she moved into Pearl's old guest house and had somewhat a life of the typical college student, They had agreed to her privacy on the condition that she keep her grades up and that if they fell below expectation, she was to move back into the main house immediately and for the most part she had done well and while commuting back and forth hadn't been ideal for her, she made friends and had gotten to know a special guy named Wyatt Halliwell, the first boy she'd ever brought home because she had claimed her brothers embarrassed her asking all sorts of questions, He smiled, remembering that first family dinner together and the boys, still in the awkward stage of Puberty and determined to torture their sister, had pretended to have a fight at the top of the stairs and Lucas had flipped his twin over the banister, Andrew had landed on his back, a horrified look on his face, The boys had timed it just so as their mother was walking into the living carrying hot tea on a tray and when she saw Andrew go over, she dropped the tray and screamed except when she dropped the tray it flew all over Aubrey and Wyatt. _

_Jonathan remembered that he'd just walked up the driveway with their youngest daughter, Katarina, to hear his wife yell at the boys to get up the stairs and stay in their rooms, she had very rarely gotten angry with them but they had played with her fear of her children getting hurt again even if they had meant it as a joke, Aubrey was furious as well, this was an important moment for her and once again her brothers had interfered. _

_Wyatt had taken everything in stride, having been prepped by Aubrey beforehand and simply accepted the towel handed to him by Jennifer and because of that, he'd been welcomed warmly, well after Jonathan had interrogated him with the boys over his intentions toward Aubrey, who had been distracted upstairs by her mother. _

_They had dated for nearly three years and when Wyatt was offered a Job in New York, Aubrey was heartbroken, He remembered her coming up the stairs and sobbing but refusing to speak to anyone but her Mama, who picked her up and lead her into her bedroom, saying telling Jonathan to go back to bed because this wasn't Daddy territory, this was Mama territory _

_Aubrey stayed in her pajamas for three days until Wyatt came to the house to beg her to come with him to New York, that they belonged together and he couldn't imagine his life without her, sitting across from Aubrey in the living room on the wooden coffee table and had explained to her that that this could be a wonderful experience for both of them, She agreed to go with him provided one specific condition _

_That they be married before leaving, she didn't want to start a new life without making sure that she had some sort of security and marriage would provide that for her, It was impulsive and Aubrey hadn't given it much thought before the words left her mouth but her instincts were screaming that this was the right thing to do. _

_Wyatt had pulled back when she said that they should get married, He hadn't been expecting that and he wasn't sure if marriage was a good idea, he didn't have the faith in marriage that she did, his parents had split up when he was a kid and his dad had taken off, leaving a few birthday cards but never a definitive address and never anything that would suggest he would be coming back to claim his son. _

_But he understood why she wanted to do it and so after studying her round face full of freckles and her long red hair for several minutes, He slid down in front of her, took her small hand in his and asked her to be his wife. _

_She blinked in surprise because she was sure he'd have said no, that they were too young and that they should know more about themselves before committing to a marriage and threw her arms around his neck and began to cry, she was so happy and excited! _

_But the only flaw in her excitement was the telling her parents. _

_Aubrey waited until Jonathan had come home from the office, wearing the dress Jonathan had said brought out her blue eyes, pulled her hair into a braid and went to the kitchen where she found her brothers tossing a football back and forth, She wanted to make sure her parents were in a good mood before she told them and the boys putting a football through a kitchen window would surely make her mother angry and when her mother was upset, her father would be too. _

_She tried to kick Lucas and Andrew out of the kitchen so she could set the table for dinner but of course they wouldn't listen and instead took turns picking her up and swinging around the kitchen, her parents walked in with Kati to find her screaming for them to stop, because the boys were so much taller than her and they each had her under an arm and were threatening to pull her apart like a chicken bone when Jonathan finally yelled for their attention, and catching them off guard, the boys accidentally dropped Aubrey. _

_She laid on the ground for several minutes until she could regain her breath and when she finally got up, Aubrey picked up a plate that, Grace their housekeeper, had left on the counter and threw it across the room _

"_You've ruined this important moment!" She yelled _

"_Whoa, What important moment," Jonathan grabbed her wrists to prevent her from throwing another plate, her mother was attempting to get the boys out of the line of fire_

"_Wyatt and I are getting married!" She smiled excitedly _

"_Married?!" Jonathan and Jennifer said in unison, "When," _

"_9 days?" She gave the same dimpled smile she'd had at two years old _

"_9 Days?!" Her mother was stunned, "Why 9 days?" _

"_Because Wyatt has to be in New York in 15 days and I'm leaving with him,"_

"_Whoa, double announcement," Lucas whistled _

"_Lucas, Andrew, out" Their mother commanded, "You're moving to New York City with no money and no plan" _

"_We have a plan, we're going to get an apartment and both work," Aubrey expected some questions but she also thought there would be some excitement _

"_Are you pregnant?" Jonathan demanded to know _

"_No!" Aubrey was appalled her Daddy would even think of that _

"_Then why the rush to get married," Her father said sitting down, the idea of his baby leaving him had literally left him breathless _

"_You and Mama were engaged within three days," Aubrey knew the story of her parents courtship better than anyone _

"_But Darling, we didn't get married until three years later," Her mother said sitting at the counter _

"_Because of me, right if I hadn't come along you would have been married right away?" Aubrey knew that her parents had been separated before she was born and only reunited after her kidnapping _

"_No! Of course not, Baby!" _

"_Then what's the problem, so if we make a mistake in a year, I'll come home like nothing's happened, I love him, Daddy please" She pleaded with him _

"_Let Daddy and I talk, alright," Jennifer said knowing that Jonathan had caved the moment she dropped she dropped the "Was an I mistake" line _

"_Keep in mind, I'm 19 years old and If I chose to, I will go to Vegas and get it over, then go to New York and never set foot in this house again,"_

"_Don't threaten us, little girl" Jonathan knew she was backed into a corner and this was her last resort _

"_It's not a threat, It's a promise," Aubrey said, ever much her father's daughter with determination and left the kitchen _

"_What are we going to do," Jennifer asked the moment Aubrey left the kitchen_

"_The only thing we can do, give our daughter a helluva wedding and hope she knows what she's doing,"_

"_What if it's a mistake," She climbed into her husband's lap _

"_It's her life, she's got to make her own mistakes," He kissed her forehead _

"_Isn't this conversation supposed to be reversed, I'm the stable one and you're the emotional basket case," She smiled pushing back his once dark brown hair which now was a shade of silver that made him more distinguished _

"_Calm Before the Storm, Baby" _

"_Let's go get our daughter and tell her that we've given her our full blessing,"_

_Just then there was scratching at the kitchen _

"_I think we have mice," _

"_And we feed them," Jonathan laughed _

_Jennifer walked to the kitchen door and opened it, jumping back as four Hart Children tumbled like a ton of bricks _

"_Well," Aubrey said her youngest sister underneath her and Andrew crushing her spine _

"_Well, we have eight days to plan a speculator wedding," Jennifer said picking up her daughter _

"_Yes," She threw her arms around her Mama and squealed _

"_There is one condition though," Jonathan spoke up, "I want to speak to the boy" _

"_What, Daddy, no!" Aubrey knew that he would try and talk Wyatt out of the marriage _

"_It's the deal breaker," Jonathan said firmly_

"_Give on this one, Baby," Jennifer whispered _

"_Fine but I get to be in the room with you," Aubrey gave in because she knew any moment her Daddy could put a swift end to her marriage plans_

"_Nope either I speak to the boy alone or the deal's off" Jonathan was adamant, He wanted to put the fear of God into the boy and he knew his daughter would simply act like a buffer _

_Aubrey let out a deep breath and rolled her blue eyes, a sign of conceding _

_While Jennifer went dress shopping with Aubrey, Jonathan sat down his future son-in law in the office._

_He didn't speak to Wyatt on the entire walk up the stairs, just turned and expected him to follow which Wyatt did timidly. Entering the office, he noticed that there was a single chair in front of the large oak desk and on top of the desk was a large gun. _

_He sat on his desk chair, careful not to move it or block the gun because it was sending a silent message _

"_Mr. Hart, I just want you to know, that I promise to take good care of your daughter," _

"_Son, and I use the term freely, you hurt my girl in any way, Even the feds wouldn't be able to find your body in the desert and it would never be traced back to me…"_

"_Yes Sir," _

"_Now, your insistent on talking my little girl to New York, for how long?" _

"_In-Definitely sir,"_

"_And are you planning on giving me grandchildren anytime soon?"_

"_No Sir, we're not ready for that," _

"_Good, Good now let's get down to business, how much do you want?"_

"_For what, Sir?" _

"_A Pre-nup, there's no way I'm letting my baby get married without some sort of pre-nuptial agreement"_

"_Sir, that's not necessary, We'll be set money wise"_

"_Alright but regardless, I'm setting up an account in Aubrey's name with 10, 000 dollars in it in case something goes wrong, only she will have access to it, Got it" Jonathan said sliding the gun to the side of the desk, He'd made it his point _

"_Yes, Sir" _

"_Cut the Sir crap, Son and call me Jonathan," _

"_Yes-Sir I mean Jonathan,"_

"_Now, Son I know that you come from a good family and that you have excellent prospects, But I also want you to know that Aubrey is my first born and that means more than you'll ever know and I just want you to know that as much as I respect you, my daughter's well-being comes first and I want it be heard that the moment I feel that she's not happy, I won't hesitate to take her home," _

"_I understand, Jonathan but I need you to understand something, Aubrey won't just be your daughter, she'll be my wife and as much as her family is important and will always be a part of her life, I'll be her family too and I need you to understand that and step back just a little bit so we can live our lives without interference,"_

"_I understand," Jonathan had to admire the balls on this kid, he clearly had been prepped by Aubrey on what to say _

"_Thank you sir," Wyatt stood up and shook Jonathan's hand, leaving the office but just before he left, Jonathan called to him_

"_Wyatt," Jonathan began to type on his computer," Remember, one shot one kill" _

_When they came home from dress shopping, Aubrey insisted on hearing exactly what transpired between her father and Wyatt but Jonathan was evasive, only saying that it was productive and they came to an understanding except Wyatt was more forthcoming and said that Jonathan had waved his gun and threatened him, which was a slight exaggeration but it was enough to send his daughter over the edge and threatened to elope again this time, threatening to disown her own father and When he tried to explain he was only looking out for her best interest, she said he wouldn't understand that since he didn't have any parents to object to his marrying her Mama and that she was adult, capable of making her own decisions._

_He didn't admit right away that her words had struck a nerve, the expression on his face told her it anyway and she felt instantly guilty but she wanted to show her independence away from her Daddy. _

_Her mother however, as soon as she heard the exchange between Daddy and Aubrey came charging up the stairs and immediately intercepted _

"_Little Girl, I don't care how old you get, you do not speak to your father like that! And another thing, No one is stopping you from walking out that door and getting married, but if you do, you'll immediately be cut off from us, no stipends, no communication, nothing it'll be as if you didn't exist and all because you chose to go against us, Your Father did what he thought was best and under any other circumstances I can't say I wouldn't do that same. You may be an adult Aubrey Rose Hart but you will always be our child." Jennifer turned on her heels and went back down the stairs _

"_I'm sorry, Daddy" Aubrey whispered _

"_There are some things that I'm sorry just won't fix," He kissed her on the head and went into his office._

_Although the plans for the wedding were coming together quickly, it was still frosty between the three of them_

_It wasn't until the night before the wedding that the frost finally melted _

_Aubrey was finishing packing for her honeymoon when she came across a picture she hadn't thought about in years, it was the picture her Daddy had taken of her, the boys, Mama and Katrina just after Katrina had been born, She remembered when he took the picture, he'd said that their family was complete, he'd finally had everything he'd ever wanted. _

_Aubrey began to cry, wondering if after all these years, she'd finally gone too far and that they would never get back that close relationship they once had. _

"_Aubrey," Jonathan startled her, she was so focused on the picture she hadn't heard the door open _

"_Oh Hi, Daddy" She wiped her nose with the back of her hand and threw the picture into the box full of things she was planning on taking with her _

"_Are you okay?" He knew she was upset about the fight and the distance he'd put between them but it wasn't what she said, it was the fact that he didn't want to let her go _

"_Yeah, Just overwhelmed I guess," She was lying and he could see right through her_

"_Well, since tomorrow proves to be a crazy day, I figured you and I won't have a chance to speak much so I thought we could have a conversation before-hand," _

"_Oh Daddy, this isn't the sex speech is it?!" She'd been around her parents enough to get more than an eyeful not to mention she wasn't totally ignorant, although she was a virgin she'd rounded the bases without going all the way. _

"_No that's not what I want to talk to you about, although thank you for pre-implanting those images in my mind, Anyway, I know your Gran Pearl wanted to be here more than anything,"_

"_I miss her," Aubrey felt her heart drop in her chest, it hadn't been so long since Pearl had passed away, her presence was still very much a-part of their home _

"_I have this from her to give to you," Jonathan reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace box _

_Aubrey hesitated before she opened the box, fighting back tears, opening the box she found the necklace she'd admired so often as a little girl, the last thing her Poppa Max had given to Pearl_

_A locket with the inscription "An Angel on Earth, An Angel in Heaven," _

"_Oh, Daddy, Thank you!" She threw her arms around his neck and for a moment, he couldn't believe that this would be his last few moments with his baby; he had so much to say but couldn't find the words. _

_After a few minutes, he let her go, kissed her goodnight and made her promise to go to bed; tomorrow she couldn't afford to be exhausted _

_After He left Aubrey, he wondered through the house, checking in on each of his children, The Boys who despite every inch of them being identical, were opposites in personalities except when it came to torturing their sister, were growing up to be the kind of men he was proud of, he was sure they'd be taking over for him at Hart Industries in a matter of time, when their Mama was sure they'd be ready and then there was the baby, Katrina, who's presence alone was a miracle after all her Mama went through after the attack. _

_He'd never thought about before, but he'd done something so wonderful, he'd created something so amazing that he was sure that it was a dream and he'd wake up, all alone again with just Max by his side. _

"_Penny for your thoughts?" a familiar voice asked wrapping her arms around his neck _

"_Nah, I've got so many pennies, I can't get rid of them," He kissed her hand _

"_I know what you're thinking, and I'm thinking it too,"_

_She could read his mind as well as he could read hers _

"_That tonight is the last night in the house with all four kids," He whispered_

"_It went by too fast, just yesterday it seemed like they were running around the yard playing tag and now our baby is getting married," _

"_I can't let her go, it's too hard," Jonathan's eyes began to welt up _

"_You have to, Darling, she's a big girl now and this is her decision, as much as we want her to stay a baby she's going to have to learn to take on the responsibilities as an adult" She could hardly believe her own words,_

_Letting go of the one person she'd let go so many times before, Jennifer wanted to lock her daughter in the closet so she'd never leave. _

"_How are we going to do this three more times," He said wiping his eyes _

"_Beats the Hell out of me," She took his hand and began to lead him back to the bedroom," Come on Buster, tomorrow is going to be a long day" _

_Jonathan barely slept that night, all of his thoughts of Aubrey, he remembered the first he held her after she was born, how little she was and how much she'd won his heart from that tiny first breath._

_The morning came much too soon and Jonathan must have fallen asleep because suddenly he felt the bed sagging and his daughter's voice loudly yelling "I'm getting married today!" _

_He took a deep breathe, he'd been dreading this day for 19 years _

_To Keep him from getting under foot, Jonathan and the boys were sent out on wedding errands, picking up tuxes and making sure the flowers had been delivered to the church, all the menial tasks that are left to the last minute for all fathers and brothers to complete so the bride can get dressed without being driven crazy _

_Jonathan admitted to himself he didn't want to rush back home to get dressed because the time was passing too quickly and every second meant one step to giving his daughter away but of course he did otherwise he'd have been suffering the wrath of his wife and daughter. _

"_Come on, Jennifer, Aubrey, We're going to be late!" He called from the bottom of the stairs_

"_Just a moment," Jennifer called back as Katarina came bounding down the stairs, wearing a pale blue dress, her brown hair pulled back with flowers, she looked like a miniature version of her mother_

"_Ready, Daddy!" She smiled _

"_That's my girl," Jonathan went to kiss her head and was surprised when she squirmed away _

"_Careful of my hair Daddy!" She rolled her blue eyes at him, a trait inherited from her big sister and Mama _

"_Sorry Kiddo," He laughed as Andrew and Lucas came down the stairs_

"_Dad, do we have to wear this monkey suit," Andrew asked while Lucas pulled at the bow tie_

"_Just until the reception then you can take off the jacket and ties," Jonathan said but he knew that'd they'd start taking off their clothes in the limo, earning them a dirty look from both their mother and sister._

"_What's taking them so long?" Lucas whined _

"_Dad, go after them, we'll never get there!" Andrew joined in his brother in whining _

"_Patience is a virtue of which neither of you inherited," Jonathan ruffled their heads and walked up the stairs to his daughter's old bedroom and opened the door _

_She'd gone from a 19 year old child this morning to an angel dripped in lace, she wore a strapless gown with a vintage 1920s head piece, wearing only her Gran Pearl's necklace and diamond earrings borrowed from her Mama_

"_Daddy, what do you think, Daddy? Daddy?"Her voice growing younger and younger and it felt like someone began shaking Jonathan _

"Daddy!" a voice called, "Daddy wake up!"

Jonathan opened his eyes and realized it, it was another dream but it felt so real, like if he wanted to, he could reach out and touch the hem of her gown

"Oh Baby, I had the most amazing dream!" He opened his eyes and started to tell Aubrey when she simply walked away, she couldn't be bothered while her Mama was still hurt

"Someone's at the Door," She said over her shoulder and walked down the hallway

Jonathan got out of bed and began to walk down the stairs when he heard voices

"Who may I ask you'd like to see," Jessica asked with the front door partially opened

"Mr. Hart, I'm here on business for him…" Another female voice asked

Jonathan took that as his cue to walk down the stairs and opened the door further to reveal someone he didn't expect

"Olivia!" He was surprised to see her and with a baby in her arms!

"Uncle Jonathan!" She jumped as much as she could into his arms

"Uncle?!" Both Jessica and Pearl, who'd come in from the backyard garden said in unison


	19. The Storm has passed

After Olivia had arrived, much to the surprise of Jessica and Pearl, Jonathan had gone to visit with Jennifer, who'd steadily improved since her cardiac episode, her depression still very evident, and her injuries were going to be the hardest in the long run, her broken hand would limit her ability to have motor function and write, possibly ending her career, She would have to learn how to do everything with her other hand, including how to eat, and even dial the phone, the stitches over her body would require plastic surgery to conceal the scars that would never really be hidden could take years, her leg would need extensive therapy so she wouldn't be wheelchair bound or need a walker later on, Before she could go home though, the Manor would have to have extensive remodeling so that she could receive therapy at home and her heart problems were fixed with a new device that was smaller than a pacemaker but would do the same job but wouldn't require further surgery in the future. Her skull fracture had healed itself enough so it wasn't a cause although she would be heavily monitored in the coming months to make sure there was no further bleeding. The facial fracture would need time, the bruising was tremendous.

She knew the recovery was up to her, that all the love and support from Jonathan and the Kids would make little difference, she had to want to get better and she did but when the doctors came in just as Jonathan was getting ready to leave her for the night, They said it was important to tell them both together because it would affect any future decisions they would need to make together.

They said the blows to her abdomen that caused the miscarriage was so severe that the chances of her ever having another baby would be nearly impossible, She felt her entire body go numb.

It was impossible, all the dreams she'd had, she'd had four children Andrew Lucas, Aubrey and Kati, She'd seen the baby, held her in her arms, looked into her deep brown eyes and now she was being told once again she'd be forced to give up the chance to have a chance to make up for her loss of Soleil.

Jonathan sucked in his breath and didn't show a respond, he knew that they'd have another baby, the odds were against them again but they'd overcome just as they had so many times before and complete their family. In the meantime, they had a two and a half year old who was so miserable it was catchy and twin boys who were beginning to crawl and talk, they were also beginning think of Jessica as their mama because she spent all the time with them whereas in the half year they'd been alive, their mother had come and gone repeatedly and their father's focus had shifted to making sure that when she did come back, she'd come back the woman he'd married and not the shell of someone else.

The doctors let it sink in and left them, Jennifer's face had fallen and he knew that if he tried to reassure her, it would be futile. She needed time to process everything in the meantime; He would take her home and make sure that she would heal, at least her body.

Jonathan stayed for a few more minutes before leaving her, he promised to be back the next day and kissed her goodbye, before he got to the door though, she called him back.

"I don't want to come home," She whispered studying her once beautiful hands, one now covered by a cast that started at her finger tips and went up to her mid-arm

"What?" He wasn't sure he heard her, they were so close to the finishing line, at least at the hospital and now she was back stepping, he knew she was miserable but this was enough. "Why?"

"I want to be with you and the kids but I don't want to go back to the Manor," she spoke her words slowly

"But that's home," He protested

"It's too painful, I would rather go to the beach house," a tear painfully falling down her face

"Please, I think it's important to at least go there for a few days just to get settled and then if your still not happy, we'll go, I promise" He walked back over and kissed her lips, ignoring the facial bandages and the stitches that aligned her forehead at the tip of her hairline, "I love you.."

He left and she sat back, "Don't make promises we both know you can't keep" she whispered staring out the window

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Pearl was suspicious of Olivia Benson, the questions of why suddenly this woman appeared out of nowhere and with a baby to boot, calling Jonathan "Uncle" when he had no siblings, just as things were at the most chaotic and when Jonathan was at his most vulnerable.

Although Pearl's focus should have been on the kids and preparing for her trial, her instincts were telling to that this "Detective" from New York had a past and it was up to Pearl to find out what it was, it was what Max would have done.

Poor Max, still sitting in the morgue's office waiting to have his proper burial, at this rate, the kids would be burying both Pearl and Max together.

Pearl's connections allowed her access to privileged information about Olivia including her birth certificate, medical records and her police jacket, which was emailed to her but before she read the files, she decided to talk with Olivia who had been moved into the guest house with her baby, Jessica, who was struggling with the babies as it was hadn't offered to take Baby August so Pearl went to the guest house under the guise of helping Olivia out

She found Olivia unpacking while the baby slept in the pack n play

"Hi, I just figured I'd stop by and see if you need anything," Pearl said knocking on the door

"Nope we're okay, thank you" Olivia smiled pulling the suitcase into the closet, "This place is bigger than our whole apartment in New York"

"How long have you lived in New City?"

"I grew up, well actually I was born right here in California but we moved to New York when I was four,"

"Just you and your mother?"

"Yes, she got a job at Columbia University"

"Wow, that's amazing"

Olivia just smiled and continued to flutter around the room

"How did your mother know Jonathan," Pearl's curiosity got the best of her

"Actually, I'm not too sure, I just remember him a lot when I was a kid and then suddenly poof he disappeared but every month he sent a card with some money in it," Suddenly Baby August began to wail, "Excuse me,"

"Don't worry, I have some research to do," Pearl backed out of the guest house and as soon as she knew the door was closed, ran through the house upstairs to the office where she logged into her email and pulled up a document.

Olivia Benson's birth Certificate and what she read nearly caused her to fall off the chair

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Aubrey felt like she was falling, she didn't know where she was or anybody, she'd been running through a forest and someone was calling her name, begging her to come back but it wasn't Mama, Daddy, Aunt Pearlie or Jessica. The last thing she remembered was Daddy putting her to bed saying that Mama was coming home soon and that Daddy's friend, staying in Pearlie's house was going to take her to the zoo tomorrow with the boys but she'd shaken her head, she knew Daddy was going to see Mama and her curiosity was enough to make her want to go but she was still afraid, Daddy said that if she didn't want to go with the Boys and Miss Olivia, She could go with him.

if Daddy put her to sleep, what was she doing running?

"Help!" her tiny voice called out but no answer, "Daddy!"

The longer she ran, the harder her legs hurt, her head full of confusion, all she wanted was Daddy, suddenly she was swept up and slamming her eyes shut she began pounding with her fists whoever had her

"Baby! It's Me, Daddy!" a familiar voice called, "Aubrey Rose!"

She opened her blue eyes wide and realized her wish was true, Daddy was in the forest with her, But It wasn't the forest, it was the yard just beyond the pool, and somehow she'd bypassed the deck, which was lucky because in her state she might have walked into the pool and drown. He didn't know if she'd done this before, he'd spent the last few days in the hospital with Jennifer. He hadn't realized until that moment he'd neglected his daughter completely.

Aubrey began to sob heavily and in the moment, he knew what to do, what he should have been doing since the night of the attack. He laid down on a lawn chair and allowed his daughter to grieve, although she was only two years old she'd seen enough to devastate anyone and his only constant question to himself if this was the end of her innocence.

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A few days after she began to continually sleep walking out of the house and which Jonathan couldn't figure out why the alarm wasn't going off, it was time to bring Mama home, Jonathan wondered if it was a mistake to bring Aubrey along but She hadn't seen her mama in nearly two months, he had to figure it couldn't have caused any more damage, at the rate she was going, therapy was going to be an essential part of her childhood.

The tension could be cut with a knife, he had never known such misery from his favorite people and he hoped when they were all home, it would lessen.

When Jonathan walked into the hospital room, he was surprised to see Jennifer still in her hospital gown, unhooked from the machines, when he'd called and said they were coming she said she would be ready.

Aubrey walked in with Jonathan but seeing the yellow bruises on her Mama's face, the long cast over her dancer leg and the small cast that held her hand together, Aubrey immediately retreated into her Daddy's legs, shying away

"Hi Baby!" Jennifer tried to be upbeat but she knew that Aubrey's reaction was going to be like anyone else who first saw her, one of fear

"That not Mama" Aubrey whispered tugging on Jonathan's pants

"Of course that's Mama, just a little bruised …"Jonathan picked her up and put her on the bed, warning her to be careful of the casts and the bruises

"Baby it's me!" She couldn't believe she had to reassure her own child, she leaned over and kissed Aubrey on the head, even her kisses weren't the same, Aubrey scooted down to the edge of the bed away from her

Seeing Jennifer's face drop, Jonathan was quick to reassure her, "It'll be okay, things will get back to normal, it'll be like nothing happened,"

Suddenly her fury came out, "Like Nothing Happened?! Is that what you want? Everything has changed, we'll never be normal again! I will never be the same person I was before that night, stop acting like we've been on a vacation, I don't even know who I am anymore!"

She didn't realize her voice was getting louder and louder and that her daughter was cowering until two nurses came in and basically wrestled her back to into the bed

"Mrs. Hart, you can't become agitated like this!" The nurse shouted, "if you don't calm down, we'll be force to sedate you and move you up to the psyche ward!" In that moment the room became chaotic and suddenly a voice called above the noise

"Mama, please don't yell" Aubrey said with her hands over her ears and in that moment, everything clicked and she stopped yelling and fighting, maneuvering her body so she could reach down and pull her daughter into her arms, she began to whisper in Aubrey's ear

"I'm so sorry Baby, please, I'm so sorry"

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Jennifer's arrival at the house was at first intimidating because it had felt like a million years since she'd been there and the guilt she felt when she realized that she hadn't thought about the boys once since she'd been gone but When Jonathan wheeled her into the living room where the boys were playing on the floor on a blanket, she realized how much she desperately missed them, they'd gotten so big and were moving everywhere

"Hi Babies!" She said leaning over in her chair despite a warning from Jonathan to be careful but she could only feel a piece of their skin with the tip of her fingers, "Look how big Andrew is getting! And all that hair on Lucas, oh my god!"

"Uh, Other way around Darling, Lucas is the chunky one and Andrew is the future Hair King," He corrected her gently, it was bound to happen, the boys were so identical

"Right, Um I'm tired" She said quietly

"Well, we'll get you into the guest bedroom down here so you don't have to worry about the stairs,"

"I'd rather be upstairs," She said quietly, she wondered why Pearl hadn't been in to welcome her, only Jessica was sitting on the floor with the boys

"If that's what you want, then upstairs, we'll go," Anything she wanted, he'd have given it to her even if it was just a fleeting moment…

"Mr. H, how will you get the wheelchair up the stairs" Jessica asked quietly to Jonathan, Jennifer was staring at the boys, she didn't seem to hear anything but them babbling, Aubrey had bolted up the stairs the moment they'd walked through the door

"Hmm…Well, I can always carry her up then come back down, or we can try to rig something up to push her up the stairs, I thought the workers were coming to put in ramps,"

"Not until Next Week,"

Jonathan decided his best approach would the safest, he could just carry her up the stairs, she'd lost so much weight from being in the hospital, and she weighed practically nothing anyway.

Normally she would have thought the idea of being carried upstairs to bed, it would have been romantic as hell but she just felt more like a useless person.

He got her upstairs and put her on the bed, but she still didn't look comfortable, her body felt itchy and she knew her hair hadn't been washed in days, the cast on both her leg and hand felt like it was weighing her down

"Are you okay?"

"I want to take a shower" She said quietly staring her broken body

"Okay, we'll get some plastic wrap and put you in the tub"

"I don't think I can sit in the tub, Will you help me in the shower?"

The doctors had said if she was careful to not get her casts wet and to be care of her head, not to lean back because the damage could cause dizziness and she could hurt herself more, the big bandages on her face had been removed leaving only small ones across the stitches at her hairline and across her nose, that if she wanted to she could take small showers just until her sense of gravity was back.

Jonathan nodded and went downstairs to gather the items he needed to wrap her casts, garbage bag and thick tape, smiling that in some way she was letting him back into her world, that a bit of her ice was melting not because she wanted to, but because she had to her independence had been tapered.

He'd left her sitting at the edge of the bed, staring at the walls but when he returned with the items, he found her staring at one the last pictures taken of the five of them before the attack, rubbing her fingers over the smiles of her children She remembered it was the first sunny day in a week, that it had been raining the previous few days and she remembered that Aubrey had been climbing the walls begging to go play in the yard on her swing set but Jennifer had resisted, because she didn't want her to get sick and when it was finally sunny out, she remembered hearing Aubrey tear down the stairs after Max let her through the baby gate, downstairs through the living room and into the kitchen, she remembered lying in bed with Jonathan listening to Freeway's excited bark and Max's voice asking Aubrey if she wanted her juice in a to-go cup.

The boys had been asleep through the initial barking but when the back door slammed, Lucas started crying and soon both boys were wailing, they were both reluctant to get of their bed but knew that Jessica had taken the morning off and Pearl was out in the guest house, they got the boys changed and dressed then went downstairs to find their two year old swinging in her PJs

"Come on Mama, swing with me!" She yelled her long red hair flying behind her

"I've got the boys, Maybe Daddy can," Jennifer smiled

"I don't think Daddy can fit," Aubrey said

"Me either," Jonathan mumbled under his breath handing her Lucas, but he managed to squeeze into the child sized swing, his large frame spilling over the sides

"Look how silly Daddy is," Jennifer said to the boys, Lucas wide awake and Andrew hand curled up on his Mama's shoulder asleep

Just then Max came outside to call them for Breakfast, realized something and went back into the house, coming back out with the camera they kept in the kitchen

Jennifer and the boys stood next Jonathan, who'd stopped swinging long enough to pull the three of them onto his lap and Aubrey had scooted up onto the swing and managed to swing her legs around his neck so she was sitting on his shoulders

And for a moment, they were a normal family unaware of the dangers lurking around their happy home.

"Do you think we'll ever be that happy again?" She asked quietly

"I think we will, we just have to be patient, come on," He began to tape up her casts and when he pushed her into the bathroom, helping her remove her clothes and when the light came on, she gasped at her reflection in the mirror, the bruising, stitching everything

"It's okay," He said stepping in front of her to shield from the mirror

"No it won't," Her anger had returned "Get out!"

"I'm not-"He was surprised when she awkwardly stood up and pushed him back into the sink "Leaving you"

"Just get out! I don't want you here!" She yelled, "Don't you see, It's my fault!"

"How IS it your fault? You didn't cause any of this!"

"I brought him into our lives and look, I've lost my baby, my looks, my ability to be a mother!" her anger gave away to tears and she collapsed into his arms

He let her cry for a few more minutes then held her back so she could see herself in the mirror

"Tell me what you see when you look in the mirror"

She shook her head

"Alright, I'll tell you what I see, I see a woman willing to go the limits for her children, who traveled halfway around the world carrying twins to retrieve a daughter who was taken, who from the moment in that bunker locked eyes with us instantly knew her Mama and who after nearly dying in childbirth gave birth to my sons. You are my wife and I will continue to tell you this until it penetrates. Your beauty isn't about your face but your heart, I don't care if your entire face covered in pimples, I didn't marry you for that, None of this matters without you, Sure I have a couple bucks in the bank but it means nothing without you and the kids, especially now since Max is gone, I grew up in an orphanage and I realize that the one thing I've been waiting for my entire life, holding my breath for something amazing and it's right in front of me and that's you, the kids will grow up and move out but it'll still be you and me."

And just like that, the storms clouds began to clear and she realized that this process of healing involved more than just physical, it was emotional and mental as well, she needed to repair her marriage and her commitment to her husband and children…

"I'm sorry, I don't mean it I'm just so frustrated and exhausted, it's completely overwhelming to be back here, I never actually thought I'd come home." She didn't want to say it but she'd hoped for a moment that the attack would actually kill her so she could stop being in pain but now she wanted more than anything to live.

"Well, you are home and this is where you belong, when you are feeling like your old self again, I think you'd better have a discussion with your daughter,"

"Aubrey? Why?"

"Wait until tonight, you'll see why" He was being mysterious but he knew that she wouldn't believe him that their daughter was carrying the weight of the world on her nearly three year old shoulders until she witnessed it for herself.

"Um, We forgot her birthday.." Jennifer said as Jonathan washed her back, she was trying not to shiver in the glass shower

"Damn it" Jonathan hadn't realized it, the month of March had passed by so quickly and he been so distracted

"We've never given our daughter a proper birthday party,"

"As soon as your well, we'll do it up right besides I don't think she's much for celebrating" Jonathan was careful of the stitches and decided against trying to wash her hair just yet, he'd get a professional hairstylist to come to the house to deal with it.

He saw she was breaking out in goose bumps and decided that she'd been in the shower too long, He wrapped her in a towel and put her back into the wheelchair so he could run back into the bedroom to get her pajamas, just as he opened the door to the bedroom, he nearly tripped over their daughter who was hunched over clutching a blanket and Simba.

"Baby, what are you doing out here?" He asked but when she looked back at him with wide eyes he knew what she wanted "Go ahead,"

She stood up and dragged her feet along the carpet, taking notice of the blue walls and the big picture of Mama and Daddy on the wall next to Uncle Max, Mama was wearing a big white dress and Daddy was in his best suit, Uncle Max was smiling with a big cigar in his hand

She shuffled her feet until she was in the bathroom where Mama was sitting in the big chair with wheels waiting for Daddy

"Hi Baby!" Mama's voice sounded better than when she was in the hospital, brighter as if she was happier

Aubrey nodded and ran her hands over the wheelchair but still managing to keep her distance

"I missed you, did you miss me"

Suddenly Aubrey's eyes filled up with tears, she wiped them away with the back of her hand, she was exhausted and it was evident all over her face, the dark circles and chapped lip where she was constantly biting down, her little finger nails bitten down to the core and although she was eating, it was more than often she would throw it back up so her ribs were visible through her shirt

"Come here," Jennifer gestured with her good hand, it didn't matter if Aubrey sat on the cast as long as she was willing to get into her Mama's lap.

Aubrey shook her head no, last time she went near her Mama, she started yelling

"Aubrey, I can't chase you around the room just yet, please come here."

Aubrey's little body moved before her mind could decide what she really wanted and she stood in front of her Mama, who using her good arm and pulled her into her lap

"Careful of Mama's boo boos" Jennifer warned and immediately Aubrey started to slide down she knew this was a bad idea, she'd caused her Mama more pain but somehow Jennifer managed to keep a grip on her "I know you have been going through a lot, we all have but I'm getting better and soon We'll be able to play, maybe soon Lily can come to play

Clearly remembering what happened the last time Lily had been to Willow Pond, the tears began to pour out of Audrey's eyes "No Mama, No Lily no playing!"

"Why don't you want Lily to play with you" Not making the connection, she pressed on "Maybe Jessica can make some cookies and you girls can have a tea party"

"No, Mama I said No!" Aubrey was adamant managed to slide down, she was almost to the door when she turned around and saw that her Mama was crying too

"Why you crying Mama," Aubrey said, She'd seen her Mama cry before but something about this time was different

"Because I want to help you Baby but if you don't tell me, I can't"

Aubrey walked back over to the wheelchair and ran her fingers across the cast "Cuz I broked you Mama,"

"What? You didn't break me," Jennifer was shocked, she knew that Aubrey had been in the kitchen during the attack but to think she was the cause of it was unfathomable

"I heard you yelling for Daddy, but Daddy was gone, Jessica was gone and It was just me and Lily, then I heard you say Help me Aubrey, Help me but then the mean lady came in and yelled "It's your fault your Mama's dead!" I tried to help you Mama but I too little" Aubrey's words were coming out faster than her mother could comprehend

"Oh Baby," She slammed her eyes shut "No wonder you've been carrying this around for weeks, you didn't cause this, this isn't your fault and I want you to stop thinking that"

Aubrey wasn't convinced

Jonathan, who'd been lurking outside the bathroom with Jennifer's pajamas had heard the whole conversation, he felt like the biggest jerk in the world, no wonder his daughter was sleep walking and stress vomiting. He should have been able to figure that out from the start.

"Aubrey," He cleared his throat, clearly both Jennifer and Aubrey weren't expecting him because they both jump 10 feet into the air "It's my fault that Mama got hurt"

"Your fault?" Jennifer said surprised

"If I hadn't gone to Chicago, I could have protected you and the kids"

"And you'd have wound up in this chair instead of me," Jennifer said bitterly "This is no one's fault except Elliot's and when I am recovered we are going to finish this once and for all"

Jonathan knew she wanted to elaborate but with Aubrey in the room, it would have to wait

"Mama, I sorry I leave you" Aubrey said quietly

"Aubrey, you know that when you left Mama, you actually helped her," Jonathan kneeled down in front of her

"How?" She took his face in her hands

"Yeah Daddy How?" Jennifer smiled

"Instead of helping Mama, you helped the boys who were in danger from the woman, you managed to get them into the passageway with Lilly, making sure they were safe. Your Mama would have been so sad if the boys had gotten hurt too"

"Your right, Darling You're a hero Baby!"

Aubrey wasn't stupid and they knew she wasn't buying it but at least the wrinkles in her forehead had relaxed a little bit

"I think we've been in this bathroom for too long, why don't we get Mama dressed and you both can take a nap," Jonathan could see that Jennifer was freezing and that Aubrey was nearly asleep on her feet

Aubrey nodded and ran back into the bedroom

"Our kid's going to be in therapy until she's 30," Jennifer said as Jonathan pulled a pair of sweatpants over her cast and his favorite Lakers jersey over her body, it was the only clothes loose enough to get over the casts

"Well, at least we can afford the best" he was careful and when he was done, he put her back into the wheelchair and pushed into the bedroom where Aubrey had curled up on his side of the bed, her face finally relax and she was asleep, there would be no sleepwalking tonight

He settled them both into the bed and Jennifer instantly fell asleep to the sound of her baby's tiny breaths

It had been awhile since Jonathan had checked on the boys and when he walked into the nursery, he was surprised to find Pearl rocking Lucas

"When did you get back" He asked checking on Andrew who was gumming on a toy duck

"Just now Is Jennifer settled in"

"For the moment, where did you sneak off to"

"I had to do some research, how well did you know Olivia's mother?"

Jonathan bent over and picked up Andrew to change his diaper "We were good friends in school, sort of lost touch after college, why?"

"When were you going to tell Jennifer that Olivia was your daughter?"

Jonathan nearly dropped Andrew


	20. If that's not Olivia

Jonathan had known Serena Benson very briefly, She'd come to the Orphanage as a little girl, had gotten placed quickly and moved away, she would occasionally would send him letters describing her new home and family life but Jonathan had to admit that he was jealous of her, she'd' only there for a few days and he'd been there for years. The other kids said it was because most couples wanted to adopt a little girl and not a boy, but that didn't bother him because he knew sooner or later his time would come and when eventually didn't and he aged out of the system and met Max and Pearl, He'd moved forward with his life.

Then She'd came back into his life, He'd just gotten out of the Navy and was just in the process of starting up the company, Serena was familiar and they started back up a friendship which quickly led to a sexual relationship, it lasted for a few months but then she'd gotten a job in New York and took off, coming back and forth to see him until She'd said she couldn't commute anymore, that it was too hard to be away from him and she'd broke up with him.

He didn't mind, he was so busy anyway he'd barely noticed.

Serena would come back into his life a few more times, once to say she'd been attacked on Campus and gotten pregnant. He'd told her to come home to deal with it, that he'd take care of her until she was well and a to be a surrogate Uncle of some sort to her child .

As soon as she was back in Los Angeles, Serena had moved into the apartment Jonathan had with Max, taking up the spare room usually reserved for his office and suddenly the Two swinging Bachelors were living with a single woman who was also a victim, it made for some awkward situation when Jonathan would bring home dates and Serena would wonder out of her room crying, begging him to make it better.

Eventually Jonathan couldn't take it anymore and pawned her off on Max who arranged for Serena to move to an apartment in New York, about as far away as one could get without falling off the edge of the earth and promised to be there when her baby was born.

Unfortunately when Olivia was born, He was in London meeting the love of his life and hadn't even thought about Serena once they got back into the states, She didn't seem to care, she'd just a brief message saying that Olivia been born and Serena was fine.

A few messages back and forth but other than that, he only saw them a few times until Olivia was about three when they came to California for a possible job interview for Serena, Jonathan had lied to Jennifer about his whereabouts knowing that although she understood his friendship with Serena, she'd be angry he would take time off from his job.

She understood about certain things but Old Girlfriends He'd helped support, that's where she drew the line.

When Jonathan got to the hotel and saw the poor condition they were both in, Olivia was crying and Serena was drunk, he knew what he had to do.

He put Serena into Betty Ford and left Olivia with the nuns at the orphanage, he didn't want to burden his wife with the responsibility of someone else's child, the baby conversation just wasn't something to think about for them at the time.

Jonathan made Serena promise she'd get her life together but he knew she'd never do it, she wasn't strong enough but after the 90 days she sobered up, accepted his more than generous offer of moving into a New Apartment in New York, with the added promise he'd sent her a check just until she was back on her feet completely.

They kept this arrangement until Olivia was around 8 when the check came back with no forwarding address, He figured Serena had simply moved on and out of New York City, hopeful she'd gotten married and given Olivia the stability she'd so desperately needed

But then a few years passed and he found out Serena had died tragically from a fall down the subway stairs, drunk, he couldn't go to the funeral as it was right after Aubrey had gone missing and his mind was so focused on that. He barely remembered functioning.

And now, nearly 20 some odd years later, When he'd sent for Olivia to uncover who was continually after his little family, he never imagined that the question of her paternity would come up as well and When Pearl showed him the birth certificate which clearly stated That she was born to Both Serena Renee Benson and Jonathan C. Hart

Jonathan's instant fear was that it was true and that not only would Olivia be helping her father but that she'd expect to have a cut of the estate as a biological child.

He wondered if Olivia knew the truth but then how could she, she didn't seem like she had something to gain from being there, and she certainly didn't act as if he were her father, it was a very casual relationship that he didn't want to rock the boat

But he knew he'd be sunk if Jennifer found out from Pearl before He could tell her, Pearl's loyalty to both of them were extraordinary but from one mother to another, he knew that eventually Pearl would crack and it wasn't her responsibility to begin with.

He didn't just want to storm out to the guest house and demand a DNA test because if it came out that Olivia wasn't his child, he'd be embarrassed for both of them.

Jonathan couldn't imagine that at the near age of his sons, he'd also be a grandfather and a father to a woman in her 30s.

He paced in his office, imaging different scenes in which he told his beloved about this whole thing

"_Darling, I have to confess something to you," He tell her lying in bed, her casts resting on large pillows _

"_Yes," She looked at him with trusting eyes _

"_a one night affair resulted in the birth of a daughter who may or may not be mine and We may also be grandparents" He rushed through his words_

_The look of horror spoke volumes and it was several minutes before she spoke, the ice dripping from her voice "How long have you known about this?"_

"_I've known about it for just a while"_

"_And you're positive That this woman is your daughter?" _

"_Yes, I believe so"_

_She stared at him for a few minutes before she reached for her wheelchair and sliding into it, she furiously wheeled herself to the bedroom door _

"_Where are you going?"_

"_I'm sleeping in the nursery tonight, tomorrow I want your things out of the here, you can stay with your daughter in the guest room"_

"_What? You can't be serious!"_

"_I can't trust you obviously, We're supposed to be totally honest with each other and considering that this woman had to be conceived when we were together, I'm assuming you've cheated on me. Which you can deny to the hills but how will I know if it's the truth? I thought I knew you but apparently I don't and so I want you out of here." With that She wheeled herself through the bedroom door, slamming it behind her _

Scary, Jennifer could be unreasonable but she'd never immediately throw away their marriage, not at least without making him suffer in some form

A better scene

_She was sitting in the kitchen, watching Jessica feed the boys while Aubrey sat in her lap _

"_Sweetheart, I have to tell you something," He said gently _

"_Go ahead," She'd never raise her voice in front of the kids _

"_Remember I told you about Serena, my friend from the Orphanage, well we had a one night stand that resulted in a daughter," He said studying her round face waiting for her to telling Aubrey to go upstairs and to take have Jessica take the boys out _

"_That's nice, What would you like for dinner, I was thinking maybe we'd order in some Chinese food" _

"_Um Did you hear what I said"_

"_Yes, you have a daughter, That's wonderful Darling, can you grab the take out menu and decide what you'd like," She smiled as if he suggested that they go to the beach after dinner._

She'd never be that cavalier, especially when it came to their family, she'd have questions and be supportive

His final thought for how she would handle make him grin like Cheshire Cat

_She had called him at work, asking when he'd be home, he'd thought nothing of it until he came home and realized that the house was silent, no kids crying or screaming, nurses coming in and out, Jessica calling out "Is that you, Mr.H?" You could hear a pin drop and his heart began to race, what if Andrew had an asthma attack or Aubrey had hurt herself _

"_Hello," Jonathan called _

"_Up here!" a voice called down to him from the bedroom _

_He shuffled up the stairs, wondering how he would tell her about the possibility of a illegimate daughter when he noticed the candles that aligned the hallway and the rose petals on the floor, He quickly opened the bedroom door to find his wife had somehow managed to get a negligee over her casts, her beautiful hair clipped back and she wore the faintest amount of makeup _

"_The kids," He managed to squeak out_

"_Hotel for the night" She smiled seductively_

"_Are you sure you want.."_

"_I'm ready, are you?" She asked him timidly _

"_Absoutely" and In the Moment he forgot what he needed to tell her and focused on making love to his wife. _

He knew it wouldn't be that easy as much as he wanted to believe it.

Jonathan realized he could over think it to death and still come to the same conclusions, he gathered up every ounce of strength and went in search of his wife.

He found her in the house gym with the physical therapist, attempting to gain strength in her injured hands, somehow she's managed to convince Jessica to bring the boys down to the gym so they could be near their mother, she felt awful, she couldn't get on the floor and play with them but the next best thing was to let them crawl around on the carpet and play peekaboo from her chair, She was still afraid to be alone with them on her own so whenever the boys were in the same room with her, someone would have to be there just in case, Thank God For Jessica who was selflessly devoting all of her time to their family without complaints or even days off.

When everything eventually settled whenever that be, he'd send her on the most fabulous vacation money could buy.

Pearl had taken Aubrey to the pool, her house arrest still in effect but still managed to maintain some sort of life

Jonathan stood in the doorway watching his wife struggle to undertake the most basic task of writing her own name, his thoughts wondering how would she feel if she was forced to give up her Journalism career, she'd be more devastated than both the loss of her daughter and the attack together.

After a few minutes, she threw down the pencil in frustration and her physical therapist seeing that she was becoming tired, decided that was enough for the day.

Clearing his throat, Jonathan walked into the gym, Jennifer not acknowledging his presence, he feels awful he has to do it this but He knew that the longer he stalled, the worse it would be

"Mr. Hart, I'm going to take the boys up for their lunch and a nap, will you need anything in the meantime," Jessica asked from the floor with Andrew in her lap

"No, I'm all set, I'll make sure Mrs. Hart gets upstairs all right"

"Leave Lucas," Jennifer ordered

"Are you sure," They both asked in unison

"Yes" She was still focused on the paper in front of her

Jonathan shrugged and Helped Jessica off the floor.

"Are you okay" Jonathan picked up Lucas who had started to fuss when Jessica left the room

"I'm just tired, I guess," She looked so miserable

"C'mon Truth Time" He knew that she was constantly holding back because she was afraid it would hurt him but keeping it bottled up constantly would cause her to develop some sort of tumor.

"I'm putting my career on permanent hiatus," She said

"What,why?" Jonathan asked

"Because I'll never get back to where I was and I think my priority should be the kids," Her heart wasn't in her statement and he could see it in her eyes

"That's a cop-out and you know it" He braced himself for the backlash

"What?" She spun around and stared him down

"You are talented and you know you'll get over this bump in the road, to throw it all away You'll be holding yourself back"

"How can I have a career when I can't even print my own name!" She tried to stand but her casts prevented her

"It's 2013, Use a computer!" He shot back

She tried to think of a comeback but instead starting laughing

He let her laugh for several minutes before helping her into the chair and putting the baby on her lap

"I need to tell you something, that's very important and I need you to be clear minded,"

"Is it about the kids?" Her voice rose, Lucas reaching out for his Daddy he didn't like to sit in on place for too long

"No, well sort of, "He stalled for a minute watching her interact with the baby

"Ummm Are you going to tell me tonight or sometime before midnight ," She was tired and her body was beginning to ache

"Okay," He took a deep breath, kneeled in front of her and took her hand

"Are you proposing because I'm pretty sure we've done this before,"

"We've always been open about our past relations, you and Elliot, Me and Sophia, Joan etc but there's one relationship I never told you about,"

"Do you mean Seraphina?"

"Close, her name was Serena ..How do you know about her?"

"Copious research Darling, I'm known for it."

"Then you know about Olivia?"

"I knew she had a daughter, I didn't know her name ..."

"Well Here's another thing you didn't know, there's a very significant chance that her daughter is also my daughter," He braced himself for her reaction

"Why after all these years, are you bringing her up to me?" She wasn't angry she knew that always could have been a possibility

"I asked her to do some research for us just to get to the bottom of who's responsible with Elliot to be after Aubrey and Well Pearl did her own research,"

"Wait, What's her last name?"

"Pearl's?"

"No! Olivia's!" She rolled her eyes in frustration

"Benson, why?"

"Oh my god I've met her!"

"What?" He temporarily forgot about the possibility of another Daughter

"When Dad and I were in Maryland, We went to the police station and she was one of the investigators on Aubrey's case,"

"Are you sure?" He distinctly remembered an Olivia Benson working on their case but she somehow looked different, her face more angler and her hair much darker, he guessed in 3 years it's possible to change that much

"I'm positive, is she going to come here?"

"She's already here," He pointed to the window to the guest house

"How long has she been here?"

"A couple days"

"Does she know,"

"No, why isn't this bothering you?"

"Should It?" She looked worried at him

"I guess not"

"Look, Does it really change anything, are you going to stop loving our kids? Choose her over them, divide your attention further"

"Absoutely not!"

"Then I'm fine with it, Continue to love our kids as much as before and I'll learn to live with it,"

"You're an amazing woman!" He pulled her face forward and kissed her deeply

"Wait, Buster, you don't have any other kids you'd like to spring to on me right now?"

"None that I know of" He kissed her and pushed her wheelchair out of the gym.

If only he knew how wrong he was and the consequences it would cause, if Pearl had only continued on with her research..

Jessica had put Andrew down in his crib and gone outside to look for Pearl and Aubrey at the pool, she hadn't had much interaction with the guest and she really didn't want to offer to look after another kid, two was hard enough, she'd never realized when she took on this task of the boys, that she was basically taking over raising them, at her age to be chasing after six month boys was a bit much but it was a joy to experience new life and seeing what they learned as they got bigger

Jessica was just past the guest house when she heard angry voice coming from there

"Look, I'm doing the best I can with what I've got, it's not easy!" the voice carried," Just tell me how long I have to be here, Baby I know what we agreed on but there's an old lady here who keeps asking me questions!, I can't do that! I can't and you can't make me! How much time do you need?!, Fine!" just then a baby started crying.

"It's alright August, Aunty is here," the voice cooed

"Auntie?" Jessica said not realizing she'd spoken out-loud

Footsteps came to the door and Jessica pressed herself against the cold wall

"Hello, who's there?" Olivia or whoever she was called out

Jessica sent a silent prayer she wouldn't get busted

The door closed but no one came out and Jessica heaved a sigh of relief

Back upstairs

Jonathan and Jennifer were lying on the bed with Lucas in between them, trying climb all over his Mama when the phone rang

"Should we let it go to the answering machine?" Jonathan asked

"Nah, besides it might wake up Andrew" Jennifer scrunched her face up to make Lucas laugh

"Hello, Hart residence" Jonathan picked up the phone and turned back to them, Lucas leaning his head back in curiosity

"Hello, Mr. Hart This is Captain Donald Cragen of Manhattan Special Victims, you recently requested the presence of one of my detectives, Olivia Benson who left here with her child, unfortunately, Detective Benson never made it out of the city, she was attacked in the parking garage of her building and is currently on life saving apparatuses, would you still like the assistance of another one of my detectives?"

"That's impossible!, Are you sure?!" Jonathan was stunned

"Yes Sir, Detective Benson was positively identified"

"What about her child?" Jonathan asked as Jennifer sat up with Lucas in her lap

"What is it, Darling?" She asked concerned

"Unfortunately we don't know the whereabouts of the child, we assume well we don't know what we assume"

"Um, Let me call you back" His blue eyes wondering at his wife and son "That was the Manhattan Police Department, they say Olivia's in the Hospital after being attacked"

"Wait, If Olivia's in the Hospital then who's…" Her brown eyes growing wider by the minute

"I have no idea"


	21. It happened one night

After the phone call from Manhattan SVU, Jennifer had demanded Jonathan go down to the guest house and throw out their "guest but he'd convinced her to wait, just to see what this imposter had planned because if whoever it was, was willing to put a cop in the hospital and kidnap a kid then she was obviously capable of anything and he didn't want to the family in more danger so he'd begged her to wait and when after a few weeks which turned into a month and when nothing happened, they naturally assumed she wasn't planning anything and was still planning on helping them get to the bottom of the mystery.

Pearl had done some research into the attacking at Olivia's garage, it had happened right after she'd left the precinct with the baby, except instead of being in the car seat, he was gone and the car door still swinging open, an elderly woman going to her car spotting Olivia half under the car, Apparently the person who'd beaten her also tried to run her over. They had also taken her wallet, badge and other forms of identification, in doing that, it took other detectives from various precincts days to figure out it was Olivia.

The police had naturally assumed who ever attacked Olivia had also killed August, it was very rare to have a victim as a mother of an infant; if it was someone eager for a baby they would have attacked her while she was pregnant, they believed it might have been someone as a detective she'd put away, retribution maybe

The security cameras had been essentially useless because all the cameras were cut for 10 minutes, obviously on purpose and there were no other witnesses. A dead end essentially.

The answers came much quicker than they wanted

Jennifer's casts had come off a few weeks prior, allowing her better movement and she was on track with her physical therapy, as a part of building up her muscle tone from what she lost in the attack, she would use one of the babies as a weight, pulling the baby up and down which they loved, it gave her more interaction time with them, although she was still afraid to be alone with them at times..

It had been a long day, she'd been chasing after the boys who had stepped up their crawling and Aubrey who'd decided to try out her new roller-skates that had been given to her by her Daddy on the hardwood floor because she wasn't ready to be in the driveway, her Mama being afraid she'd wind up in the pond at the edge of the driveway.

They'd done their usual routine, early dinner for the kids, wrestled Aubrey into the bathtub, done the usual five minute time out for her because she'd climbed out of the tub and streaked down the stairs, her Daddy grabbing her right before she could skid across the kitchen floor and she kicked him in the knee and wrestled her into bed, she'd fallen asleep halfway through Goodnight Moon

Standing in the doorway, sighing with relief that their three year old was back to her normal hyperactive behavior after so many months of self-imposed silence, watching her settle into normalcy was a gift that they were grateful for.

Jessica had put the boys in their cribs, a quick glance in to see if the boys were asleep, Lucas was but Andrew was awake staring at his mobile above his head

"Hey little man, go to sleep" Jonathan whispered

"Do you think he's still hungry?" Jennifer whispered

"Nah I think he's just waiting until the mobile stops playing" he knew if Andrew was hungry, that he'd do the famous Hart pout, created by his mother, patented by his big sister and slowly being perfected by both him and his twin

"Maybe he's wet" She was constantly worrying, desperate to make up for the months she didn't get to take care of him

"Relax, he's fine, look" Andrew's little eyes were beginning to close

They kissed each boy's head one more time and closed the door

"Hmm, now that the kids are settled in for the night, maybe Daddy can help you relax" He smiled mischievously "What does Mommy need"

"A nap" she yawned, she'd forgotten how exhausting three little ones could be

"Hmm, well the nap will have to wait because I've got a surprise for you," He took her hand and led her down the hallway to their bedroom door

"Eyes closed" he put one hand across her face, careful of the bruising and scars across her face and threw open the bedroom door with his other hand

She struggled to walk, being so much smaller than him but she was still excited to find out what he had in store, it had been so long since they'd had a romantic moment together and she'd been finally given the all clear to make love to her husband, she felt like a teenager all over again.

He lead her into the bedroom, sat her down on the edge of the bed and careful not move his fingers to let her see anything

"Are you ready?"

"Yes" She smiled the anticipation was killing her

"Are you sure"

"Are you sure want to have sex with me tonight or ever?" She threatened

"On that threat, Ta da!" He uncovered her eyes to find their bedroom covered in white candles, a beautiful table set up with champagne and red roses, a dinner underneath silver holders and a box with a pink bow.

"It's so beautiful," She began to cry

"Why are you crying" He wondered how he could have already screwed up

She couldn't explain it, she just shrugged and smiled "I'm happy, I am"

"Women," He thought then picked up the box and handed to her, "Take this to the bathroom, put it on and came back out"

"All Right," She wiped her eyes, took the box and left to go into the bathroom

Jennifer went into the bathroom, washed her face, pulled her hair back with a clip and opened the box, it was a red negligee with a garter set, She tried to put it on but because her hand was still tremendously weak she couldn't button it up, instead she put the negligee back in the box, went to their walk in closet and picked up his favorite dress shirt and slipped it on, leaving only a few buttons open.

She pushed down any butterflies she had in her stomach and went back to the bedroom, but he was gone

"Where could he have gone?" she wondered out loud

"Over here, Red" His voice called from the bed, she hadn't seen him lying on the bed

"Don't tell your ready for bed," She smiled seductively "I thought we'd eat this lovely dinner"

"Just waiting for my company" he sat up

She poured two glasses of Champagne and brought them over

"To us" She whispered

"To us" He took a sip

She started to take a drink when she noticed the light on the baby monitor had been turned off

"Did you turn the monitor off" She asked

"Of course not, why?"

"It's off," She suddenly became concerned

"The batteries probably died," He kept drinking

"I'm going to check on the kids," She put the glass down on the nightstand and went to the door

"Everyone's asleep, come on back," He called to her

"I won't be able to enjoy myself until I'm sure, It'll just take a minute" She wasn't about to let sex get in the way of checking on her children, as she closed the door, she heard Jonathan sigh in frustration

She peeked in on Aubrey, who'd kicked off her blankets and was gripping Simba by his little throat with her hands.

Rolling her eyes, she fixed the blankets and unclenched Simba, kissing Aubrey's forehead and brushed back with her fingers the long red hair that was splashed all over the pillow

Quietly she moved onto the boys room, Andrew was sound asleep with his thumb in his mouth but when she looked into Lucas's crib, he was gone!

"Oh my god, Oh my god" her heart instantly climbed into her throat, she tore apart the crib, throwing out the blankets and stuffed animals, at that moment she didn't care if she woke up other baby, in fact she forgot she had another baby, she was just about to run out of the room calling for Jonathan when she noticed something in the corner of her eye, a flash of blonde hair and a head tilted to the side.

Jennifer turned to find Jessica sitting in the rocking chair

"Oh Jessica! I didn't see you there, I'm sorry," Jennifer's heart crawled back into her chest slowly, he must have been with her but since the lights were still off, she couldn't tell

No answer

"Jessica," She whispered louder, suddenly butterflies invaded her stomach

She moved slowly through the nursery, Maybe Jessica had fallen asleep and couldn't hear her.

"Jessica" She called again, this time she put her hands on Jessica to shake her instead felt something wet on her hands

"What the hell?" She held her hands up to the window where the house lights in the yard shone through.

Her hands were covered in blood, bright red blood

The scream that came out of her mouth was epic, much louder than the one she later supposed the day her baby was taken

Still screaming she ran out of the nursery where Jonathan caught her just before she fell to the ground

"What happened?" He demanded to know

"Lucas Gone ..Dead .." She couldn't get enough air out of her lungs to finish her sentence

Jonathan's face paled, his son was dead, what?!

"What do you mean Lucas is gone?"

She still couldn't catch her breath, they felt like they were pushing against her chest "Gone, Jessica dead!"

The words hung in the air until he realized she meant that the baby was gone and Jessica was dead

"Stay here!" He ordered her and physically pushed her against the wall, Just before he walked into the nursery, a little face peeked out

"Daddy, what's the yelling"

"I want you to go back to bed but I want you to lock the door" He stopped and looked into the familiar blue eyes

"I'm not 'spposed to do that, Mama said so" Aubrey started to step out

"Well Daddy says so, Do it now!" He didn't want to get tough with her but it was a necessity

Aubrey pouted but obediently closed the door, Jonathan waited for the click of the lock and walked into the nursery, just before he reached the first crib with Baby Andrew, he was clipped from behind

Jonathan was unconscious but not unaware of the person stepping over his body cooing to his infant son

"It's All Right Buddy, Daddy's here" the voice of Elliot Manning carried out but to Jonathan it sounded like it was under water

Down the Hall Jennifer was still leaning against the wall staring at her blood covered hands when she heard footsteps on the stairs

"Hello?" Olivia or whatever her name was called

Snapping out of her trance state, Jennifer's eyes flashed and she pushed herself away from the wall

She was going to find some way, any way to end this tonight.

Enough was enough

Jennifer marched with a confidence she hadn't had in months, not since the return of her kidnapped daughter, the premature birth of the boys, the research trip to Maryland, the attack that nearly killed her and caused her to miscarriage an unknown but very much wanted child. This moment had been a longtime coming and she knew whatever happened in the next few minutes, if she died she at least went out saving her children.

She met Imposter Olivia at the top of the stairs and without a word, shoved her against the wall

"Hey! What is your problem?!" The woman yelped

Jennifer didn't speak only shoved her again, for a moment she felt like she was the kid in high school finally kicking the Bully's ass

"STOP!" Olivia imposter yelled

"I don't care who you are or why you are here; just give me back my baby!" Jennifer yelled in the terrified woman's face

"I don't have your baby!"

"Lady, I'm giving you to the count of 10 or I beat the pretty right off of you, Give me BACK MY SON!"

Just before Jennifer could push her again, they both mis-stepped down the stairs and landed hard at the bottom, shaken for a moment, Jennifer was dazed until she saw that the girl was trying to crawl away and grabbing her by the leg was able to pull her forward and pin the imposter's arms back

"Why did you come here?!" Jennifer nearly spit on her face

"Get off me!"

"I'll get off when I get some answers!"

"Well, isn't this sexy, two women fighting, I gotta say Jen,I find it very sexy" a familiar voice called

"Elliot" She growled and turned to find him walking down the stairs with Andrew "What are you doing with my baby?"

"Taking back what's mine, I'd take you along with us but I've grown tired of your whiney behavior and let's face it, you're just not as interesting as you used to be" Elliot continued walking downstairs and into the living room

"Why do all this? Why can't you just leave us alone!" Jennifer pleaded

"It's the conquest, you remember how much I love a good hunt.." Elliot was manhandling the baby who didn't like that in the slightest, he was used to gentleness and this roughness was causing him to cry "What's this kid's problem"

"He has good taste" Jennifer mumbled

"Shut him up, will ya Doll Face" Elliot said to the imposter who took the baby from him, having gotten up from Jennifer's pin

Jennifer tried to reach across them to get at the baby but Elliot being so much bigger, pushed her across the room causing her to land on the floor in front of the boys' toy plastic piano that lit up when they pressed against it with their feet.

"What are we going to do with her?"

"Well, we'll get the kids strapped into the car, make sure Jonathan's good and dead, give me 20 minutes along with her then set the place on fire," Elliot smirked

"Wait, 20 minutes alone, I didn't agree to that.."

"Octavia, Just go get girl"

Jennifer finally discovered the name of the woman living in her guest house

"Elliot"

"NOW!" He barked "Never mind, I'll just go myself, you'll only screw it up" he walked back up the stairs

"Why are you with him? He's so mean to you" Jennifer figured she'd better get on a girlfriend level with this woman if she wanted a chance to save her kids

"I love him, he's the first person who's seen me for me and loved me " Octavia said quietly

"And not as Olivia.."

"I don't want to talk about her," Octavia's face suddenly dropped

"She's your twin, how could you do that to her?" Jennifer pressed her

"It wasn't supposed to be that way, I only wanted to borrow the baby to come here and she put up a fight"

"Why did you allow yourself to get wrapped up in a man like Elliot?"

"You don't understand, You have love I've never had that"

"This isn't love, this is abuse" Jennifer was inching closer to Octavia

"You don't know him"

"But I do and he's not a good person, he's a murderer, get away from him now before you end up dead like Jill"

"Well that was an accident"

"What do you mean,"

"Elliot said that Jill wasn't listening and she had to be dealt with, I saw her wrestling with the old lady in the yard and I meant to shoot an air warning but the gun misfired"

"It's still murder" She said gently so close to Andrew, who'd somehow fallen back to sleep

She saw in Octavia's eyes that Jennifer was reaching out to her

"I'll make you a deal, you give me the baby and you can just leave, I won't call the police I won't even mention this to my husband, you'll be free and clear, best of all away from Elliot"

"No I can't, I love him" She began to cry

"If this is your idea of love, then you're much more damaged then I thought" Jennifer remarked

"I am not damaged!"

"Then prove it, give me the baby and walk out that door without looking back" Jennifer challenged her

Octavia sat for several minutes in silence while Jennifer's fingers tingled ached for the baby who was within reach

Suddenly Octavia got up without a word, handed the baby to Jennifer and walked out.

She got to the front door before turning back

"Thank you"

"Just one thing, are you my husband's daughter" Jennifer asked

Octavia shook her head no

Jennifer looked down and realized that Lucas was still missing "Oh my god, Lucas!" he had to still be in the house somewhere

Thinking quickly, she ran across the room to the baby carrier in front of the television, placed Andrew inside the carrier and shoved them both into the cabinet underneath the television

Careful to get back into position where Elliot left her on the floor, she just made it when she heard him come down the stairs

"That damn Brat of yours won't open the door," Elliot mumbled, "Where's Octavia?"

"Something suddenly came up"

"Oh yeah like what?"

"Beats me" Jennifer shrugged

Elliot looked around and noticed the baby was gone too, she must have been outside, it was time for him to have his time with Jennifer

"Well, kids are gone, husband's unconscious, what's say we have a little fun?" Elliot snickered

"I'm all for fun, why don't you pour a little drink to loosen up," She smiled seductively

He was surprised but still walked over to the bar and was searching for the Scotch under the bar when Jennifer clubbed him over the head with the plastic piano, it was just heavy enough to crack a skull.

She made sure he was completely unconscious before she ran upstairs but not before kicking him in the family jewels, just for her own satisfaction.

She found Jonathan unconscious under the Lucas's crib

"Jonathan, Jonathan" She shook him until he began to wake up

"What happened?" he asked groggily

"I'll explain in a minute, but in the meantime, tomorrow we're investing in Fisher Price stock" She smiled, the weight of the world off her shoulders

And suddenly the wailing of an infant was heard

Taking Jonathan's hand, she listened for the crying half way down the hall until she reached the linen closet and found Lucas on a blanket

Scooping him up, she turned to her husband and spoke the words she'd been desperate to say for nearly three years

"It's over"


	22. Epilogue

_Four months later _

She wasn't supposed to be here, what she should have been doing instead was preparing for Andrew and Lucas's first birthday party, Jennifer couldn't believe that nearly a year had passed since they'd been born, the attack everything, it seemed like only yesterday she was praying for Andrew's survival in the NICU and although she'd been in and out of their tiny lives because of things beyond her circumstance, she'd made a vow to herself that she would never allow that to happen again, she'd be the mother they deserved.

So why she allowed herself on this particular morning to go to the Jail, was it because the trial had tired the whole family out, and had dragged them through the mud.

Jennifer hoped to never go through that again, she was forced to relive the night of the attack and before that, the months leading up to her relationship with Jonathan, whether or not Elliot could be the father of Aubrey, which didn't make sense until the lawyer brought up their seven month separation and even brought out Aubrey's birth certificate and questioned whether or not it had been falsified.

Truman had wanted Aubrey to testify but the Judge ruled she was too little and too traumatized to go through it, which was a relief to the both of them, they wouldn't want her to go through it anyway and in the end it didn't matter

Guilty on two counts of murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, stalking, breaking and entering and assault on both a minor and battery

They'd held their breaths while the verdict had been read, while Elliot had been smirking, believing that his dream team of lawyers would get him off and when the final verdict was read and he was handcuffed, he looked over at her and winked.

His prison term would 25 years with the possibility of parole in 15, Truman immediately petitioned for a 2, 000 foot restraining order was granted.

Pearl was also exonerated for her crimes and her probation was terminated so she was able to leave the confides of Willow Pond.

As soon as the trial was over, Max and Jessica were given proper burials, Pearl was of course devastated at the loss of both her sister and husband, as soon as she was ready Jonathan sent her on a month cruise so she could clear her head.

In between the funerals and the trial, Somehow had managed to find time to go to New York and bring Baby August home to his mother, who was recovering slowly from her injuries but his father, Elliot, had taken time off from his new job to care for his Olivia, he was especially grateful to Jonathan and Jennifer for their care of August.

When asked about the whereabouts of Octavia Benson, They told him that she hadn't gotten very far that night and had been arrested as a conspirator in the attempted murder of her own twin sister, in exchange for her testimony against Elliot, she'd been committed to the psyche ward as a victim of Stockholm Syndrome.

And then one day, a letter from the prison came to Jennifer, asking for her to come for a visit and out of curiosity, she went

Although she didn't tell Jonathan, she couldn't, he would have said she was crazy, that Elliot was behind bars and they had no reason to even consider it. That the time for all of them to move on.

So on the morning of her visit, She'd dressed in her best outfit telling Jonathan that she was interviewing someone and that she'd be back in the afternoon to take the kids to the park

He never questioned it, just kissed her goodbye and wished her luck which only furthered her guilt.

At the Jail, Jennifer was padded down, had to sign in numerous times and state the reason for her visit, although she didn't even know why she was there.

At last she was led into a room with plate glass and an armed guard

"He won't be able to physically touch me, will he" She asked quietly

"No Ma'am" the guard answered stiffly

Jennifer sat nervously in the hard plastic chair waiting for Elliot to come out, after a while, he wondered why she was doing this and stood up to leave when the door swung open on the opposite side and Elliot was lead into the room, wearing an orange suit, hand-cuffs and a black eye

Smirking, She picked up the phone to speak to him

"Nice Shiner" She commented on

"Well, it's tough living" he replied back

"Why did you want me to come here," She demanded to know

"Well I missed your pretty face and I figured enough time had passed, you could put in a good word with the DA and get my sentence reduced"

"How hard did I hit you with that plastic piano? Clearly enough to cause brain damage, I can't believe you dragged me down here for this, I thought maybe you'd come to your come senses and say goodbye, to apologize for everything but I was wrong, you'll never change and I'm so stupid to believe you would" She stood up and put the phone

"Wait" He called after her

"For what? I only came here to make sure you know that after today, I'll never think of you, you don't exist for me and as for the past two years, the only thing that come from knowing you is getting my daughter back, because of you I lost the first two years of my child's life and I can never get that back but I gained something along the way, the love of a man who is willing to go the distance and that is something you'll never understand"

"I'll always be with you, you'll never be rid of me!" He yelled after her "I swear when I get out of here, we'll be together again"

She rolled her eyes and left

She made it all the way to the parking lot when she noticed a familiar car and three car seats in the back

He stepped out of the car and smiled

"What are you doing here?" Jennifer asked surprised

"I figured you'd need all the support you could get, what did Elliot want"

"Sentence reduced" She rolled her eyes

"And"

"I told him basically to go to hell"

"That's my girl" He kissed her nose, "Let's go home"

Walking through the door, Pearl was on the floor watch Aubrey hold up Andrew's hands in attempt to get him to walk but she was mainly stepping on his heels causing him to fall back and land on his behind

"Hi Guys!" Jennifer said cheerfully

"Mama, Watch!" Aubrey hauled Andrew up by his arm, forcing him to stand up in front of her

The confused look on his little face said that this game wasn't fun anymore and he wanted his Mama to make it stop, now

Jennifer sat down on the floor with Jonathan sitting down on the couch behind her, Lucas crawled into her lap and immediately tried to stick his finger in her eye

"I don't think he likes that, Baby" She said gently moving Lucas's chubby hand who was now aiming for her hair to yank

"Just watch Mama" Aubrey was determined

She made sure Andrew was standing up right with his hands inside hers, pushed him gently forward and stepped back

Wobbly, He walked a few steps, looked around and walked a few more steps toward Pearl

So excited, Jennifer scooped him up and kissed his chubby cheeks

"Good Job Bub!" Jonathan cheered

Looking around, at the little faces she and Jonathan had created, she realized in that moment life couldn't any better than this, that everything they'd been through was worth it as long as they stuck together.

FIVE YEARS LATER

Once again, she'd defied the odds, all the doctors and specialists who had said she'd never able to conceive again were amazed when she became pregnant through the natural process, no drugs, no extraordinary measures, just the old fashion way.

This pregnancy was something she'd never experienced before, she'd actually made it through the whole nine months without complications, and without a single problem except hiccups which Aubrey and the boys took delight in scaring them out of her.

All three of them were excited about having a little brother or sister because they knew that this baby was very much wanted and that their mother, who was devoted to them, often be overheard telling their father how much she regretted her miscarriage because she felt that the balance between Aubrey and the boys was unfair, Aubrey needed a little sister to relate to, the boys were so close that she often felt left out.

At First Jonathan wasn't sure about her pregnancy, he remembered the pain and heartache she went through when the boys were in the NICU and he didn't think he could go through that himself but when he saw the sonograms and heard the baby's heartbeat, he knew that this was going to be a healthy progression, he allowed himself to get excited.

Two weeks before her due date, they'd taken the kids out on their boat "Lucky Hart" on Catalina Island, just after they'd gotten into the middle of the ocean, with Jonathan and Aubrey at the wheel and after putting the boys down for a nap, she'd gone upstairs to have a snack with Pearl when she realized her water had broken, at first she thought she'd sat in water until her contraction hit and she flinched

Not wanting to panic the kids, she quietly told Jonathan, whose dark tanned face managed to go pale and immediately turned the boat around.

Docking quickly or basically hit the side of the dock, Jonathan made sure Pearl had enough money to get the kids home and immediately put Jennifer in the car, she didn't have the heart to tell him that he didn't have to rush, that this baby seemed to be taking her time unlike her brothers and sister, who seemed to be in a rush.

He screeched to a halt in the parking lot and ran ahead of her

"Help me!, my wife's having a baby!" he panted to a nurse behind the desk

"Sir, this is the emergency room" the nurse asked

"So, doesn't change my wife's having a baby!" he felt like his lungs were bursting out of his chest

"Sir, I'm going to need you to fill out these forms and also I need a patient"

Jonathan's blue eyes grew wide and he started to run back to the car, when she came around the corner

"Darling, are you all right?" He asked watching her clutch her stomach

"I'm a little hurt, having just been ditched by my husband" she laughed

"Ma'am, do you need a wheelchair?" an orderly asked

"Nah, she's going to skip her way to delivery, let's not ask stupid questions alright?!" Jonathan helped her into the wheelchair

"Forgive my husband, this is only our fourth child" she rolled her eyes as she was wheeled away

18 hours later, Katarina Jessica Hart was born with dark brown eyes and almost black hair, she was a vastly different baby from the others and would continue to be that way.

The moment her Mama looked into her eyes, she knew that this was the baby from her dreams, the one who'd been waiting patiently to arrive, who would heal her from the past

The day after Katarina had been born; Jonathan brought Aubrey and the boys to meet their new baby sister, they'd been climbing the walls for the past few days

"Mama, where is she?!" Aubrey announced marching through the hospital door

"Aubrey, where's Daddy?" Jennifer asked cradling Katarina

"Right behind her, I had to stop Frick and Frack from charging the dining cart" Jonathan came in with each twin on his leg

"Mama, is this her?" Lucas jumped up and down

"Well, she's not a loaner" Jennifer laughed

"I wanna holder!" Andrew said from around Jonathan's leg

"I don't think Mama's ready to let go yet but I know what you guys can do, gather around Mama for a picture," He pulled his digital camera

"Oh I look horrible" She shook her head

"Your gorgeous," He smiled at her

The boys climbed on the hospital bed, cautious of their Mama's belly wound but Aubrey hung back

"Don't you want to be in the picture" Jennifer asked

Aubrey shook her shoulders

Jennifer knew what was wrong

"Come here," She pulled Aubrey's shirt forward and whispered "You'll always be my baby, you're my first baby"

Aubrey smiled and climbed beside Lucas, who was petting Katarina pink cheek while Andrew was more content playing with her tiny feet

Jonathan stood back and was just about to take the picture when the nurse walked into take the baby back to the nursery

"Oh, excuse me nurse, could you take the picture so my husband could be in?" Jennifer asked

"Of course,"

Jonathan scooted behind the bed, next to his wife and four little miracles, he realized that this was what he had finally gotten what he'd wanted his entire life

One Complete Hart

_Five reviews will get you_

_The Aubrey Chronicles _


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